TOM Smothers, one-half of the iconic comedic duo the Smothers Brothers, has died at age 86.
Smothers died on Tuesday in his home in Santa Rosa, California, about an hour north of San Francisco, following a recent battle with cancer, his brother, Dick Smothers, said.
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“Tom was not only the loving brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday.
“I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years.
“Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
Smothers, the older half of the satire duo, and his brother first appeared on national television as a tandem in the early 1960s on the NBC late-night show The Jack Paar Show.
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After appearing on CBS’ The Judy Garland Show, the Smothers Brothers inherited the 9 pm primetime slot with their series in 1967.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour made its debut in February 1967.
The folk-singing brothers pioneered a new standard in late-night television with their controversial satirical comedy that included tackling issues like racism, recreational drug use, and protesting against the Vietnam War.
“It was just the biggest thrill, it was unbelievable!” Dick told CBS News last year.
However, their controversial skits and remarks about politics led to clashes with the network’s executives.
The show ran for three years between 1967 and 1969 until CBS finally pulled the plug after receiving blowback for the brothers’ outspokenness on the air.
“Fifty years later, I look back on us being fired, and I’m still pissed off,” Smothers joked in a 2019 interview with All Arts TV.
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