Country musician and Johnny Cash's brother Tommy Cash dies as fans pay tribute
The brother of Johnny Cash, Tommy Cash, has died at the age of 84. The country musician's death was announced by the Johnny Cash Museum. Icon Entertainment founder and chief executive Bill Miller, who launched the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville, said on Saturday: “Shannon (Miller) and I lost a very, very dear friend last evening. I knew him for over 50 years."
He 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.”
Johnny, who Take That star Gary Barlow has called an inspiration, died in 2003, aged 71. Following his death, Tommy continued the family legacy, and released the tribute album Fade To Black: Memories Of Johnny.
Fans were devastated by the news of Tommy's death, taking to social to share their tributes. Onewrote: "RIP Tommy Cash (the younger brother of Johnny Cash) a singer in his own right." Another posted: "RIP Tommy Cash the brother of Johnny Cash, 2 days after the anniversary of Johnnys passing too [sad face emoji]."
Born in Dyess, Arkansas on April 5, 1940, after Tommy left high school he enlisted in the army and worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network. He would go on to play with blues and country legend Hank Williams Jr, and bagged his first record deal in 1965.
Four years later, he released the song Six White Horses, dedicated to the assassinated US political figures John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. He was best-known for the songs Rise And Shine, I Recall A Gypsy Woman and One Song Away, and appeared in the 2016 teen film The River Thief with Highlander actor Paul Johansson.