Tom Smothers dies at 86; was half of Smothers Brothers comedy duo

Comedian Tom Smothers, who died Tuesday, is shown in January 2010 arriving at the Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences’ 19th Annual Hall Of Fame Induction in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty)

Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86.

The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle.