Tom Smothers, one half of famed comedy duo, dies at 86

Originally Published: 27 DEC 23 11:36 ET Updated: 27 DEC 23 12:19 ET By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Comedian Tom Smothers, who with his brother performed as the singing comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, has died, according to a family statement shared by the National Comedy Center.

He was 86.

Dick Smothers, Tom’s younger brother and professional partner, said his brother was at home at the time of his death related to cancer.

“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick Smothers said in a statement. “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.”

The folk singing brothers became pioneers with their biting satirical comedy that was at the forefront of their CBS variety show “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” which ran from 1967 to 1969.

CBS famously yanked the show from the air after they ran afoul of both the network and censors for their outspoken politics, defense of civil rights and their opposition to the Vietnam War.

“Fifty years later I look back on us being fired and I’m still pissed off,” Tom Smothers said to laughs in a 2019 interview shared by “All Arts TV.”

Smothers was born in 1937, a year before his brother Dick, and the pair grew up in California and began performing after attending San Jose State University.

In an interview with CBS News that aired last year, Tom Smothers said he and his sibling didn’t initially think of themselves as stand up comedians.

“We thought of ourselves as folk singers,” he said.

After breaking into TV with their music, their comedy show became a hit, topping the then-popular series “Bonanza” in the ratings. Soon after, the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” began airing.

“It was just the biggest thrill, it was unbelievable!” Dick Smothers told CBS News.

But their mix of music, skits and political send-ups were often a challenge for the network censors.

The brothers often joked about criticism they faced for their candor during their comedy hour, but freedom of speech was something they took seriously.

“The right for us not to allow even to give our viewpoints to other people who are interested in hearing it is contrary, I think, to the principle of our country and to the principle that makes the world go round,” Tom Smothers once said on their program.

“The times were changing so quickly in the sixties and we didn’t change them,” Dick Smothers said during an appearance on CNN’s “The Sixties” docuseries.

“We just reflected ‘em,” his brother added.

This story is developing and will be updated.

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