Tom Smothers, one-half of the musical comedy duo The Smothers Brothers, has passed away at the age of 86. A statement that was shared by the family revealed that he was battling cancer.
According to the family statement that was shared by the family to the National Comedy Center, his brother – Dick, lamented his death. Dick wrote in the statement, “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. 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 statement revealed that Tom had died on Tuesday at their home in Santa Rosa, California. It also reveals that Dick was present at home when his brother was breathing his last.
From 1967 to 1969, Tom and Dick hosted their show – ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.’ Initially, they wanted to be folk musicians, but they felt like they were not good enough to be professional musicians. That is when they decided to mix music and comedy and came up with the show. The show was a major success as it dealt with satirical and humourous takes on politics.
Their daring sketches won them fans. But at the same time, it drew ire from distributors. The show was infamously canceled in 1969. This was the same year when the show ended up winning the Emmy Award in 1969 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy, Variety, or Music.
