The entertainment world was saddened this week to learn that Tom Smothers, half of famed comedy duo “the Smothers Brothers,” died in California at age 86, as Fox News reports.
According to a statement released by the National Comedy Center on behalf of the Smothers family said that the legendary funnyman passed away at his Santa Rosa home after a battle with cancer.
Known for his popular -- and sometimes quite controversial -- performances alongside brother Dick Smothers, Tom Smothers first gained fame back in the 1960s and enjoyed a long and storied career in the industry.
As The Hill noted, the siblings were featured on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which debuted in 1967 during a time of significant social and cultural unrest in the United States.
The pair made a name for themselves with their willingness to push boundaries with biting political satire, despite their conventional, clean-cut image.
It was during this time that the brothers gained a following among counterculture figures, including
John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and psychedelic drug proponent Timothy Leary.
As a result of their on-air references to drug use, sexuality, the Vietnam War, and other hot-button issues of the day, the duo regularly found themselves at odds with CBS network censors, and even President Lyndon Johnson.
Ultimately, in 1969, the show was cancelled, with the brothers filing suit for breach of contract several years later.
In 2019, the siblings marked the 50th anniversary of their firing from CBS by embarking on a a series of commemorative comedy performances at the National Comedy Center and the Chautauqua Institution, as the Associated Press noted at the time.
Just prior to the shows, Tom Smothers declared, “It's really an honor to be honored this way. At least we're both alive and not having someone speak for us. We can mumble our own way through.”
Musing about the type of content that prompted their dismissal from CBS -- which seems tame by today's standards -- and the network's censorship efforts, Tom Smothers said, “Don't tell a comedian not to say a certain word. For sure they'll do it. The funny thing is, I look back at those things. They're so benign, but at the time they were volatile."
Reminiscing about his brother on the occasion of his passing, Dick Smothers said in a statement, “Tom was not only the loving brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner.”
“I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off the stage, for over 60 years,” he continued. “Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
According to the statement from the National Comedy Center, in addition to his legions of fans and admirers, Tom Smothers leaves behind brother Dick, children Bo and Riley Rose Smothers, one grandson, his sister-in-law, several nephews, and a niece.
