Tom Smothers, one half of the celebrated Smothers Brothers comedy duo, died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer. He was 86.
Dick Smothers, his brother and co-lead on Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, shared that Tom died with his family by his side in Santa Rosa, California.
“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
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“I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage—the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
According to the National Comedy Center, Smothers’ memorial service will be held in 2024.
The center’s executive director, Journey Gunderson, said that, along with being part of “the most enduring comedy duo in history,” Tom was “a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness.”
He later added that the Smothers’ show “satirized politics, combated racism, protested the Vietnam War, and led the way for Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, today’s network late night shows, and so much more.”
In a July interview with CBS News’ Lee Cowan, Tom and Dick spoke about being part of the 1960s counterculture movement, despite having no “premeditation for anything we ever did.”
When recalling how CBS would often censor controversial parts of their skits, Tom said, “I was offended. ‘What do you mean I can’t say that?’ All of a sudden, it became something more.”
The brothers’ clashes with the network peaked when Richard Nixon became president in 1968. In April 1969, CBS canceled them, claiming that Tom and Dick did not give the network previews of an upcoming show on-time.
During their conversation with Cowan in July, the brothers revealed they were still busy at work developing a new stage show.
Dick shared, “When someone said, ‘What’s the happiest time in your life,’ it’s standing on that stage with my brother a few inches away on my right and having that feeling with that audience. That defines my whole life. There’s nothing better.”
