By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Tennessee intends to name Nashville International Airport after country music icon Dolly Parton, according to a statement on Friday, after the singer died in the country music capital at age 80 earlier this week.
The decision comes after a social media campaign by fans to change the airport’s name to honor Parton after her death. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee spoke with Parton’s team about the move this week, according to statements from the airport and Lee’s office.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in the statement.
“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
The proposal to rename the airport and the current Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s naming policy will be addressed at a meeting on September 17, according to the statement. The current policy prohibits naming any property after a person who has not been dead for at least two years, The New York Times reported.
Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in Pittman Center, Tennessee, and grew up in a one-room cabin in nearby Locust Ridge.
She was appearing on the Grand Ole Opry, a weekly country music concert in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 13, and after graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue a music career.
With classic songs including “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” Parton became one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with over 100 million records sold. She won 11 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Caitlin Webber)
