'The Smothers Brothers' Tom Smothers Passes Away at 86

Tom Smothers of the groundbreaking singing comedy duo 'The Smothers Brothers' earned a six-decade career and passed away at 86 on Wednesday.

'The Smothers Brothers' has a combination of humor, folk music, and scathing political criticism that won the hearts of their fans and critics in the United States.

Tom Smothers Dies at 86

(Photo : Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Actor Tom Smothers poses in the press room during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

According to the Inquirer, Dick Smothers announced his brother's passing on Wednesday, confirming that Tom died at home as a result of cancer. The National Comedy Center, which hailed Tom as a true champion of free speech, has also confirmed that Tom has been battling cancer.

"Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner," Dick said in the statement.

Dick was forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with his brother, on and off stage, for over 60 years. He added that their relationship felt like a good marriage, as the longer they were together, the more they loved and respected each other.

The Smothers Brothers

Tom and Dick Smothers started performing on stage in the late 1950s. Their popularity grew, and they began to appear on popular prime-time variety and comedy shows, where they struck up a popular, often provocative, humor routine.

They hosted their one-hour variety show on CBS television, 'The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour, which debuted in 1967 and instantly became one of the most hotly debated TV programs during the Vietnam War period.

Tom shared in a 2000 interview with the Television Academy Foundation that when they started singing folk songs, they would make up introductions to the songs, and people would laugh. He said his brother would probably say something like, "That's wrong" or "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

The 'Smothers Brothers' was canceled as Tom became politically active when the show was in its second season, ranting with satire against the Vietnam War. The brothers were especially critical of the former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Tom looked into the camera and joked in one show, "Okay, all you guys in Vietnam, come home."

During one episode, Harry Belafonte performed the song 'Don't Stop the Carnival.' While performing, pictures of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago were projected behind the stage, where former Mayor Richard Daley ordered law enforcement to beat Vietnam protesters.

The show also had multiple issues, but it was too hot for CBS. By the end of the third season in 1969, the network had pulled the plug. People in the anti-war movement, along with free speech advocates, were enraged.

After suing CBS for breach of contract, Tom and Dick were awarded $775,000. The 'SBCH' returned for a short-lived revival in 1988 but ended again after one season.