Tommy Cash, the crooning younger brother of the country music legend Johnny Cash, died on Friday at the age of 84. No cause of death has been given at the time of this writing.
Tommy Passes Away
The Johnny Cash Museum confirmed his death last weekend.
“We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy Cash,” the museum said in a brief statement.
Bill Miller, the museum’s founder and CEO, described Tommy as “a very, very dear friend.”
“I knew him for over 50 years,” Bill wrote on Instagram. “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,” he continued. “Please keep Tommy’s beloved wife, Marcy and his family in your prayers.”
Tommy is survived by his wife Marcy Benefield-Cash, who he was married to since 2001. In a 2023 Instagram post, Marcy revealed that Tommy was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. She added that this diagnosis led to him retiring from performing.
Related: American Icon Johnny Cash Will Be Immortalized With A Statue At The US Capitol
Tommy Cash: A Life
Born on April 5, 1940, Tommy was eight years younger than his older brother Johnny. He was the youngest of seven children born to Ray and Carrie Cash.
Tommy served in the U.S. military before pursuing his country music dreams, signing a record deal in Nashville during the mid-1960s. Tommy’s debut album “Here’s Tommy Cash” came out in 1967.
Tommy may never have achieved quite the astronomical level of success as his older brother. However, he still had an impressive country music career in his own right. Tommy scored his first top ten hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs with “Six White Horses,” which honored John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Check that song out in the video below.
Related: Johnny Cash Gave ‘His Heart Back’ To God Before He Died, His Sister Reveals
Tommy’s Bond With Johnny
Tommy and Johnny were very close, and they often performed together over the years.
“I probably would have never learned to play the guitar if it wasn’t for him,” Tommy once said of Johnny.
Back in 1987, Johnny made a touching introduction for Tommy at the Austin City Limits for a performance of “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine.”
“We’ve been down the road together, Tommy and I,” Johnny said. “Had a lot the same problems, shared a lot of the same joys, a lot of the same sorrows as brothers do. Brothers don’t get along sometimes, but brothers make up, because brothers love each other.”
Tommy’s death came just one day after the 21st anniversary of Johnny’s passing. Johnny died on September 12, 2003 at the age of 71 from diabetes complications.
Tommy reflected on his bond with Johnny five years later in a 2008 interview.
“Some people think I’m taking advantage of my name, but I don’t see it that way,” Tommy explained. “I didn’t ask to be Johnny Cash’s brother, but I loved my brother and his music. I have great respect for his music, and this is a way for me to show it.”
While it’s sad that Tommy is gone, it’s comforting to know that he has been reunited with his big brother. Rest in peace, Tommy Cash.
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