Tom Smothers, half of comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86

Tom Smothers, half of the groundbreaking Smothers Brothers comedy duo, has died following a recent battle with cancer, according to the National Comedy Center. He was 86.

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Smothers died Tuesday at his home in Sonoma County, California, according to the center. The group’s executive director, Journey Gunderson, remembered him as “an extraordinary comedic talent” who “was a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness.”

Tom Smothers and his brother, Dick, began their careers as folk singers, with Tom playing acoustic guitar and Dick on the string bass, The Washington Post reported. They soon began to incorporate comedic elements into their act, poking fun at the genre and injecting banter focused on their sibling rivalry.

“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 Wednesday in a statement. “Our relationship was like a good marriage — the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”

In 1967, CBS hired the brothers to create a variety show and “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” was born, according to the Post. The show, which featured controversial topics like sex, marijuana and politics, was an instant success, though it drew the eyes of network censors who did constant battle with Tom Smothers, the newspaper reported.

The network abruptly canceled the show in 1970, claiming that the brothers had failed to get an episode to censors in time for them to review it, according The Associated Press. The brothers disputed the claim and sued, eventually winning more than $775,000 in damages, the Post reported.

While accepting an honorary Emmy for his work on the show in 2010, nearly 40 years after the program was canceled, Tom Smothers jokingly thanked the writers that he said had gotten him fired, the AP reported. He dedicated the award to those “who feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power and won’t shut up and refuse to be silenced.”

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born Feb. 2, 1937, at an Army hospital on Governors Island in New York Harbor, according to the Post. At the time, his father was an officer stationed there. When his father was reassigned, the family moved to the Philippines, where they stayed until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the AP reported.

The family went back to the U.S. while Maj. Smothers stayed in the Philippines. He was captured by the Japanese during the war and died in captivity, according to the AP.

The family eventually moved to the Los Angeles area, where Smothers’ mother had grown up, The New York Times reported.

“Tom was a true pioneer who changed the face of television and transformed our culture with ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,’ which 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,” Gunderson said Wednesday.

Tom Smothers is survived by his brother; his wife, Marcy Carriker Smothers; their two children, Bo and Riley Rose Smothers, and a grandson. His son from a previous marriage, Thomas Bolyn Smothers IV, died last year, according to the Times.

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