Tommy Smothers poses with his honorary Emmy award in the press room the 60th Primetime EMMY Awards in Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Tommy Smothers of the legendary Smothers Brothers comedy and music duo has passed away. His family and the National Comedy Center announced he died Tuesday at the age of 86 following a battle with cancer. Tommy’s brother Dick Smothers said he is forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him. “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” was famously canceled by CBS in 1969 over the duo’s tendency to make fun of those in power. The executive director of the National Comedy Center described Tommy as a pioneer who helped pave the way for Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show and today’s late night shows.
The likes of director Rob Reiner, actor Dave Foley and actor and comedian Steve Martin expressed their gratitude for Smothers’ life and career on social media on Wednesday. Martin calls him “irreplaceable” and “brilliant.”