Make it happen.
Though it still doesn’t feel real almost 24 hours later, the queen of country music herself, Dolly Parton, passed away yesterday at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. Announcing her tragic passing, her team shared the following statement about her death:
“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.
Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”
Throughout the evening, more details surrounding her death began to surface, with TMZ reporting she was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on Friday morning with “kidney and autoimmune issues” and a rep confirming to People that her death sadly followed a “brief battle with cancer,” though the specific kind was not revealed.
Unsurprisingly, the country music world — and the world at large — has been mourning her death. Online, legends such as George Strait, Reba and Blake Shelton, as well as Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Ella Langley (among plenty of others) took to social media to pen tributes, share memories and send condolences to the Parton family.
Of course, this doesn’t even mention the likes of other musicians across all genres, such as Eminem, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jack White, Pitbull and more penning tributes and dedicating performances last night to honor her. Additionally, past 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolia co-stars, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine, as well as the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Leanne Morgan and more paid their respects on social media.
In Nashville, we’ve already seen plenty of tributes pop up on Tuesday evening. Eric Church’s bar, Chief’s, added “We will always love you, Dolly” on its marquee sign, the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge was lit up in pink to honor the legend and fans laid flowers and candles outside of her Songteller Hotel as a memorial.
Simply put, there will never be another Dolly Parton. Stating the obvious, her musical output is unmatched. In addition to timeless hits like “Coat of Many Colors,” “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again,” and “I Will Always Love You,” throughout her illustrious career, Dolly put out 50 studio albums and charted 25 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In addition, she released 13 Collaborative albums with Porter Wagoner, as well as nine live albums and six soundtrack albums. She was, of course, a Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member, as well as a member of the Rock and Roll, Songwriters, Musicians and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
However, all of her accolades in the studio and on the stage pale in comparison to the incredible philanthropic work throughout her career.
Parton’s most important contribution to the world (other than her music, of course) was undoubtedly her Imagination Library: the charitable organization that provides free books to kids from their birth until they hit the age of 5. In the 31 years since the country icon launched the organization, it’s gifted over 300,000,000 books to kids in need.
The benefits of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are currently available in five different countries (United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom), and the “Queen of Country Music” was working to expand the presence of her charity even further.
In case the contribution to children’s literacy wasn’t enough, her work through her theme park, Dollywood, just might be more impressive. Since February 2022, Dollywood Co. has been offering each and every one of its employees 100% coverage of their college tuition, fees and books. Additionally, they also provide partial funding ($5,250 per year) for fields such as hospitality, engineering, human resources and more.
Expanding more on her charity, over the past decade, she has donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which aided in the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in 2020, another $1 million to Vanderbilt for pediatric infectious disease research in 2022, $1 million to the Salvation Army in 2023, $2 million toward Hurricane Helene relief in the southeast in 2024 and even more towards various relief efforts across Tennessee.
All that is to say, Dolly Parton has been one of the most charitable and impactful public figures for the state of Tennessee in history, and it’s time to honor her by renaming Nashville’s International Airport after her.
In case you missed it back in January, before her passing, a petition was created by Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion on change.org to rename the airport in honor of the late legend. As previously mentioned, the description of the petition highlights her remarkable charity work and philanthropy throughout her illustrious career.
“As proud citizens of Tennessee, we are motivated by our deep-rooted admiration for the national treasure and Tennessee legend, Dolly Parton. She is not only a celebrated artist who encourages love, acceptance, and goodwill through her music, but also a philanthropist, known for her countless contributions to society. It is only fitting that an institution as significant as Nashville International Airport carries the name of such a remarkable woman.
Dolly has made substantial impacts on thousands of lives, especially through her Imagination Library program, which has gifted over 100 million books to children since it began in 1995. 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.
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!!”
Given Dolly’s popularity, the petition would gain some traffic in the following months.
However, after her death yesterday, it has exploded in popularity. At 7 p.m. CT (the time I personally signed it), it had gained roughly 65,000 signatures. Fast forward to this afternoon at 12:30 p.m. CT, and it has already ballooned up to nearly 85,000 signatures, gaining over 6,000 in just an hour and a half.
Tennessee State rep Todd Warner has already promised to introduce legislation, responding to the petition a few minutes ago. He said:
There will never be another Dolly Parton, and her impact on this world cannot begin to be overstated. If you’d like to, sign the petition and attempt to make this deserving honor a reality.
