Country singer Tommy Cash, younger brother of Johnny Cash, dies aged 84

Country singer Tommy Cash, the younger brother of the late singing legend Johnny Cash, has died aged 84.

His death on September 13, was confirmed on Saturday in a statement shared on Instagram by Nashville’s Johnny Cash Museum.

“We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy Cash,” the post read.

“Shannon and I lost a very, very dear friend last evening. I knew him for over 50 years,” the museum’s founder and CEO Bill Miller 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.”

A cause of death is not yet known.

Born to Carrie Cloveree and Ray Cash on April 5, 1940, in Dyess, Arkansas, Cash was one of seven children, with siblings including artist Joanne Cash and “I Walk the Line” singer Johnny Cash, who died in 2003 at the age of 71.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Cash enlisted in the military, where he worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio network.

Once he left the US Army, he played the guitar for singer Hank Williams Jr, which helped him sign his first record deal with Musicor Records in 1965.

By 1968, Cash had signed with United Artists Records and released the song “The Sounds of Goodbye.”

The next year, he went on to work with Epic Records, releasing “Six White Horses,” a song he dedicated to John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. It reached No 4 on the music charts and was later covered by the late country star Waylon Jennings.

Over the course of his music career, he charted many other singles, including “Rise and Shine” and “One Song Away,” and performed globally, going on to honor the Cash legacy long after Johnny’s death.

In 2016, he made his film debut in director ND Wilson’s 2016 movie The River Thief, which tells the story of a reckless teenage drifter (Joel Courtney) who, after stealing money from a drug dealer, endangers the lives of a man (Cash) and his granddaughter (Raleigh Cain).

Cash is survived by his wife Marcy.