Country artist Tommy Cash, the younger brother of Johnny Cash, died on September 13 at the age of 84.
His death was confirmed by Nashville's Johnny Cash Museum. Icon Entertainment Founder & CEO Bill Miller, who launched the museum over a decade ago, said: “Shannon and I lost a very, very dear friend last evening. I knew him for over 50 years.
“Tommy Cash was a loyal supporter of the Johnny Cash Museum and a very beloved member of our extended family as well as a highly respected member of the music industry. This great man will be deeply missed by his friends and many loyal fans around the world. Please keep Tommy’s beloved wife, Marcy and his family in your prayers.”
Cash was born in Dyess, Arkansas, on April 5, 1940, the youngest of six siblings, one of whom was Johnny Cash. While in high school, he dipped his toes into the music industry and forming a band. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network.
In his early years as a musician, Cash played with Hank Williams Jr. and eventually landed a record deal with Musicor Records in 1965. He gained further notoriety with his 1968 single The Sounds of Goodbye, and his breakthrough single, Six White Horses, in 1969 on Epic Records, which was dedicated to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Other notable releases include Rise and Shine, One Song Away, and I Recall a Gypsy Woman.
While his relationship with Johnny was at times strained, the brothers remained close. Tommy toured with Johnny in 1976, and the two performed around 120 shows together. He later toured with Connie Smith, George Jones, and Hank Williams Jr.
Since Johnny's death, Tommy continued to pay tribute to him in concerts and even released the records Tribute to My Brother (2004) and Fade to Black: Memories of Johnny (2008). Throughout his career, he performed around the world and carried the torch for the Cash music legacy long after his brother passed in 2003.
