Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86.

The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday (Dec. 26) at home in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle.

B次元官网网址淭om was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,B次元官网网址� his brother and the duoB次元官网网址檚 other half, Dick Smothers, said in the statement. B次元官网网址淥ur relationship was like a good marriage B次元官网网址� the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.B次元官网网址�

When B次元官网网址淭he Smothers Brothers Comedy HourB次元官网网址� debuted on CBS in the fall of 1967 it was an immediate hit, to the surprise of many who had assumed the networkB次元官网网址檚 expectations were so low it positioned their show opposite the top-rated B次元官网网址淏onanza.B次元官网网址�

But the Smothers Brothers would prove a turning point in television history, with its sharp eye for pop culture trends and young rock stars such as the Who and Buffalo Springfield, and its daring sketches B次元官网网址� ridiculing the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War and portraying members of the eraB次元官网网址檚 hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits B次元官网网址� found an immediate audience with young baby boomers. The show reached No. 16 in the ratings in its first season.

It also drew the ire of network censors. After years of battling with the brothers over the showB次元官网网址檚 creative content, the network abruptly canceled the program in 1970, accusing the siblings of failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to review.

Nearly 40 years later, when Smothers was awarded an honorary Emmy for his work on the show, he jokingly thanked the writers he said had gotten him fired. He also showed that the years had not dulled his outspokenness.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war,B次元官网网址� Smothers said at the 2008 Emmy Awards as his brother sat in the audience, beaming. He dedicated his award to those B次元官网网址渨ho feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power and wonB次元官网网址檛 shut up and refuse to be silenced.B次元官网网址�

Smothers often spoke of his anti-war sentiments.

As a friend and sometimes collaborator with John Lennon, he joined the musician and his new wife Yoko Ono playing acoustic guitar on their legendary B次元官网网址淕ive Peace a Chance.B次元官网网址� The song was recorded on June 1, 1969, during the coupleB次元官网网址檚 honeymoon as they held a B次元官网网址渂ed-inB次元官网网址� protest at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

During the three years their show was on television, the Smothers Brothers constantly battled with CBS censors and occasionally outraged viewers as well, particularly when Smothers joked that Easter B次元官网网址渋s when Jesus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow, he goes back in and we get six more weeks of winter.B次元官网网址� At Christmas, when other hosts were sending best wishes to soldiers fighting overseas, Smothers offered his to draft dodgers who had moved to Canada.

In still another episode, the brothers returned blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger to television for the first time in years. He performed his song B次元官网网址淲aist Deep in the Big Muddy,B次元官网网址� widely viewed as ridiculing President Lyndon Johnson. When CBS refused to air the segment, the brothers brought Seeger back for another episode and he sang it again. This time, it made the air.

After the show was canceled, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000. Their battles with the network were chronicled in the 2002 documentary B次元官网网址淪mothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭om Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades B次元官网网址� but was a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness,B次元官网网址� National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born Feb. 2, 1937, on Governors Island, New York, where his father, a Navy major, was stationed. His brother was born two years later. In 1940 their father was transferred to the Philippines, and his wife, two sons and their sister, Sherry, accompanied him.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the family was sent home and Maj. Smothers remained. He was captured by the Japanese during the war and died in captivity. The family eventually moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach, where Smothers helped his mother take care of his brother and sister while she worked.

The brothers had seemed unlikely to make television history. They had spent several years on the nightclub and college circuits and doing TV guest appearances, honing an offbeat comedy routine that mixed folk music with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry.

They would come on stage, Tom with a guitar in hand and Dick toting an upright bass. They would quickly break into a traditional folk song B次元官网网址� perhaps B次元官网网址淛ohn HenryB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址淧retoria.B次元官网网址� After playing several bars, Tom, positioned as the dumb one, would mess up, then quickly claim he had meant to do that. As Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, berated him for failing to acknowledge his error, he would scream in exasperation, B次元官网网址淢om always liked you best!B次元官网网址�

They continued that shtick on their show but also surrounded themselves with a talented cast of newcomers, both writers and performers.

Among the crack writing crew that Smothers headed were future actor-filmmaker Rob Reiner, musician Mason Williams and comedian Steve Martin, who presented Smothers with the lifetime Emmy. Regular musical guests included John Hartford, Glen Campbell and Jennifer Warnes.

Bob Einstein had a recurring role as Officer Judy, a dour Los Angeles police officer who once cited guest Liberace for playing the piano too fast. Leigh French, as the hippie earth mother in the segment B次元官网网址淪hare a Little Tea With Goldie,B次元官网网址� always appeared to have been drinking something brewed with more than just tea leaves.

The brothers had begun their own act when Tom, then a student at San Jose State University, formed a music group called the Casual Quintet and encouraged his younger brother to learn the bass and join. The brothers continued on as a duo after the other musicians dropped out, but began interspersing comedy with their limited folk music repertoire.

Their big break came in 1959 when they appeared at San FranciscoB次元官网网址檚 Purple Onion, then a hot spot for new talent. Booked for two weeks, they stayed a record 36. Booked into New YorkB次元官网网址檚 Blue Angel, they won praise from The New York Times, which described them as B次元官网网址渁 pair of tart-tongued singing comedians.B次元官网网址� But to their disappointment, they couldnB次元官网网址檛 get on B次元官网网址淭he Tonight Show,B次元官网网址� then hosted by Jack Paar.

B次元官网网址淧aar kept telling our agent he didnB次元官网网址檛 like folk singers B次元官网网址� except for Burl Ives,B次元官网网址� Smothers told The Associated Press in 1964. B次元官网网址淏ut one night he had a cancellation, and we went on. Everything worked right that night.B次元官网网址�

The brothers went on to appear on the TV shows of Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, Andy Williams, Jack Benny and Judy Garland. Their comedy albums were big sellers and they toured the country, especially colleges.

Television first came calling in 1965, casting them in B次元官网网址淭he Smothers Brothers Show,B次元官网网址� a sitcom about a businessman (Dick) haunted by his late brother (Tom), a fledgling guardian angel. It lasted just one season.

Shortly after CBS canceled the B次元官网网址淐omedy Hour,B次元官网网址� ABC picked it up as a summer replacement, but the network didnB次元官网网址檛 bring it back in the fall. NBC gave them a show in 1975 but it failed to find an audience and lasted only a season. The brothers went their separate ways for a time in the 1970s. Among other endeavors, Smothers got into the wine business, launching Remick Ridge Vineyards in Northern CaliforniaB次元官网网址檚 wine country.

B次元官网网址淥riginally the winery was called Smothers Brothers, but I changed the name to Remick Ridge because when people heard Smothers Brothers wine, they thought something like Milton Berle Fine Wine or Larry, Curly and Mo Vineyards,B次元官网网址� Smothers once said.

They eventually reunited to star in the musical comedy B次元官网网址淚 Love My Wife,B次元官网网址� a hit that ran on Broadway for two years. After that they went back on the road, playing casinos, performing arts centers and corporate gatherings around the country, remaining popular for decades.

B次元官网网址淲e just keep resurfacing,B次元官网网址� Smothers commented in 1997. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e just not in everyoneB次元官网网址檚 face long enough to really get old.B次元官网网址�

After a successful 20th anniversary B次元官网网址淪mothers Brothers Comedy HourB次元官网网址� in 1988, CBS buried the hatchet and brought them back.

The show was quickly canceled, though it stayed on the air long enough for Smothers to introduce the B次元官网网址淵o-Yo Man,B次元官网网址� a bit allowing him to demonstrate his considerable skills with a yo-yo while he and his brother kept up a steady patter of comedy. The bit remained in their act for years.

Smothers married three times and had three children. He is survived by his wife Marie, children Bo and Riley Rose, and brother Dick, in addition to other relatives. He was predeceased by his son Tom and sister Sherry.

The Associated Press