Tommy Cash, country singer and brother of the late music icon Johnny Cash, has died at the age of 84.
The Johnny Cash Museum confirmed Tommy’s death in a statement Saturday, “We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy Cash.” No cause of death was provided. Tommy died on September 13, one day after the 21st anniversary of Johnny’s September 12, 2003 death.
Bill Miller, who founded the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, added, “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.”
Tommy, who was eight years younger than John, followed in his older brother’s musical footsteps, first as a DJ for the Armed Forces after enlisting in the Army, and then as a musician in Hank Williams Jr.’s band.
In 1965, Tommy Cash signed his first record deal, and three years later released his debut album Here’s Tommy Cash. The following year, Cash landed his biggest single with “Six White Horses,” an ode to the late John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King; the track — which peaked at Number Four on the U.S. country chart — was also covered by Johnny’s pal Waylon Jennings in 1971.
Two more Tommy Cash singles would make the Top 10 that year: “Rise and Shine” and “One Song Away.” Tommy remained an active musician over the following decades, and collaborated 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.