Johnny Cash’s brother and country music star Tommy Cash dies aged 84
COUNTRY musician Tommy Cash has died at the age of 84, the Johnny Cash Museum announced.
Cash carried on the legacy of his brother as a country music star following Johnny’s death in 2003 at the age of 71, and released the tribute album Fade To Black: Memories Of Johnny.
Icon Entertainment founder and chief executive Bill Miller, who launched the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, said on Saturday: “Shannon (Miller) 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.”
Born in Dyess, Arkansas on April 5, 1940, Tommy enlisted in the army shortly after high school and worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Tommy, who was eight years John’s junior, played with blues and country singer Hank Williams Jr, and landed his first record deal in 1965.
Four years later, he released the song Six White Horses, dedicated to the assassinated US political figures John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Cash was known for the songs Rise And Shine, I Recall A Gypsy Woman and One Song Away, and appeared in the 2016 teen film The River Thief with Highlander actor Paul Johansson.
Tommy remained a musician in the decades that followed, collaborating with brother Johnny on the 1990 single Guess Things Happen That Way.
“He performed around the world throughout his career, carrying on the Cash legacy long after his brother, Johnny Cash, passed in 2003,” the museum added.
Who was Johnny Cash?
JOHNNY Cash (1932–2003) was an iconic American singer, songwriter, and musician, known for his deep, distinctive voice and genre-blending music.
Often referred to as “The Man in Black,” Cash is famous for his rebellious image and his music, which spans country, rock and roll, folk, and gospel.
Cash’s music dealt with themes like sorrow, redemption, love, and hardship, and he was known for his empathy toward the downtrodden, such as prisoners and the working class.
Some of his most famous songs include “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Ring of Fire,” and “Man in Black.” He also performed famous concerts in prisons, most notably at Folsom Prison.
Throughout his career, Cash battled personal demons, including addiction, but he made a remarkable comeback later in life.
His legacy continues as one of the most influential figures in American music, with a career that earned him induction into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.