Tommy Cash, country singer and younger brother of Johnny Cash, dies at 84
Tommy Cash, country singer and the youngest brother of legendary country singer Johnny Cash, died at 84 on Friday.
His death, which falls nearly 21 years after Johnny Cash's Sept. 12, 2003, death, was first shared in a social media post Saturday by the Johnny Cash Museum, the Nashville, Tennessee-based facility that honors his brother.
"We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy Cash," the museum wrote.
A cause of death was not cited in the social media post or the statement written by Johnny Cash Museum CEO and founder Bill Miller.
"I knew him for over 50 years," Miller 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."
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."
According to an online biography from the Central Arkansas Library System, Tommy Cash was born April 5, 1940, and enlisted in the military after high school. Tommy earned a record deal in Nashville during the mid-1960s. He had a couple of hits, including "One Song Away" and "Rise and Shine" and "Six White Horses," which celebrated the lives and subsequent deaths of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy Sr. and Martin Luther King Jr.
According to Billboard, he collaborated with Johnny Cash on "Guess Things Happen That Way" in 1990.
The single shot to No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard country charts and had a popular album of the same name. He continued to make music although the biography noted that, at times, he had a tense relationship with his more famous older brother. In a 2008 USA TODAY Network interview, he addressed their relationship.
"Some people think I'm taking advantage of my name, but I don't see it that way," he told the Ocala Star-Banner. "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."
A funeral for Tommy Cash is scheduled for Hendersonville, Tennessee, according to an online obituary.
According to The Wrap, Cash also worked as a real estate agent following the height of his music career and helped sell Johnny and June Carter Cash's home following their deaths. He is survived by his wife Marcy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy Cash dead: Johnny Cash's younger brother, country singer was 84
