Tommy Cash, a country singer in his own right and also the brother of the legendary Johnny Cash, died Friday evening, according to a statement from the Johnny Cash Museum. Tommy Cash was 84 years old.
The museum’s founder, Bill Miller, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram, “Shannon 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,” Miller continued. “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.”
His older brother Johnny died on Sept. 12, 2003.
Born April 5, 1940, Tommy Cash was the youngest of four children. He started his first band in high school and later came to play with Hank Williams Jr., getting signed to his first record deal in 1965.
In a song riffing on his brother’s legendary 1956 hit “I Walk the Line,” Cash released a single in 1965 titled, “I Didn’t Walk the Line.” It failed to chart. Cash nearly made the Country Top 40 in 1968 with the mild success of “The Sounds of Goodbye,” with his first album also releasing that year, “Here’s Tommy Cash.”
His biggest hit came in 1969 with a tribute to the assassinated John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., “Six White Horses.” The next year brought two top 10 singles, “One Song Away” and “Rise and Shine.”
Along with his music career, continuing to tour into his 70s, Cash also worked as a realtor and served in that capacity in the sale of Johnny and June Carter Cash’s home following their deaths.
