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Celebrating the life and legacy of Dolly Parton
LiveNOW from FOX's Christina Evans reflects on the life and legacy of country music icon Dolly Parton with Angelique Jackson, senior entertainment reporter for Variety.
A petition to rename Nashville International Airport after Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton is gaining traction online.
The country icon and global treasure died Tuesday at 80 years old following a brief battle with cancer.
Dolly Parton International Airport
What they're saying:
"Dolly's philanthropic efforts, her outstanding influence in the music industry, and the love she has instilled in our hearts through her actions and songs, truly make her a deserving candidate to have the Nashville International Airport named after her," the Change.org petition states.
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Tribute to Dolly Parton in Providence, Rhode Island (@lilrhodyvisibilitybrigade via Storyful)
"We request that the airport’s name be changed to Dolly Parton International Airport to honor an icon who has given so much to our state and to the world. Sign the petition to make this change a reality. We could all be Departin' from Parton!!"
By the numbers:
As of Thursday morning, the petition had more than 126,600 signatures, but the number was growing quickly.
Local perspective:
At least three Tennessee lawmakers and one Nashville City Council member have joined the effort. State Rep. Todd Warner said he will "definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport," while City Councilman Russ Bradford said he’ll sponsor a resolution asking the Metro Nashville Airport Authority "to consider renaming BNA to Dolly Parton International Airport."
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Dolly Parton’s legacy
The backstory:
It’s hard to name a more adored artist than Parton. In 2015, when Parton returned to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry announcer Bill Cody introduced her as "the most beloved artist of all time," quickly amending it to "female artist."
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She was known as much for her charity work as she was for her music and business ventures.
In 1988, she launched the Dollywood Foundation, originally designed to combat high school dropout rates. Its early ‘90s Buddy Program paired junior high students in Sevier County and gave $500 to each if they both finished high school. In 2016, when wildfires ravaged her native Great Smoky Mountains, the foundation announced it would give $1,000 each month for six months to families who lost their homes. The following year, it was revealed the foundation’s My People Fund helped 900 families with roughly $9 million in the first six months after the fires.
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In 1991, she launched a sanctuary for bald eagles that couldn’t survive in the wild; in 2000, she started a college scholarship giving $15,000 to five high school seniors in Sevier County. In 2020, she donated $1 million to COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s vaccine.
Best known is her Imagination Library, founded in 1995. Parton’s father was illiterate; it inspired her to launch an organization providing books to those without resources. By 2025, she had given away over 200 million books to children in need.
"I hope I’ll be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world," she told The Associated Press in 2024. "And left, you know, a few good things behind."
The Source: This article includes information from Change.org, The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting.