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.

鈥淭om was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,鈥� his brother and the duo鈥檚 other half, Dick Smothers, said in the statement. 鈥淥ur relationship was like a good marriage 鈥� the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.鈥�

When 鈥淭he Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour鈥� debuted on CBS in the fall of 1967 it was an immediate hit, to the surprise of many who had assumed the network鈥檚 expectations were so low it positioned their show opposite the top-rated 鈥淏onanza.鈥�

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 鈥� ridiculing the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War and portraying members of the era鈥檚 hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits 鈥� 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 show鈥檚 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.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war,鈥� Smothers said at the 2008 Emmy Awards as his brother sat in the audience, beaming. He dedicated his award to those 鈥渨ho feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power and won鈥檛 shut up and refuse to be silenced.鈥�

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 鈥淕ive Peace a Chance.鈥� The song was recorded on June 1, 1969, during the couple鈥檚 honeymoon as they held a 鈥渂ed-in鈥� 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 鈥渋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.鈥� 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 鈥淲aist Deep in the Big Muddy,鈥� 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 鈥淪mothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.鈥�

鈥淭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 鈥� but was a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness,鈥� 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 鈥� perhaps 鈥淛ohn Henry鈥� or 鈥淧retoria.鈥� 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, 鈥淢om always liked you best!鈥�

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 鈥淪hare a Little Tea With Goldie,鈥� 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 Francisco鈥檚 Purple Onion, then a hot spot for new talent. Booked for two weeks, they stayed a record 36. Booked into New York鈥檚 Blue Angel, they won praise from The New York Times, which described them as 鈥渁 pair of tart-tongued singing comedians.鈥� But to their disappointment, they couldn鈥檛 get on 鈥淭he Tonight Show,鈥� then hosted by Jack Paar.

鈥淧aar kept telling our agent he didn鈥檛 like folk singers 鈥� except for Burl Ives,鈥� Smothers told The Associated Press in 1964. 鈥淏ut one night he had a cancellation, and we went on. Everything worked right that night.鈥�

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 鈥淭he Smothers Brothers Show,鈥� 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 鈥淐omedy Hour,鈥� ABC picked it up as a summer replacement, but the network didn鈥檛 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 California鈥檚 wine country.

鈥淥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,鈥� Smothers once said.

They eventually reunited to star in the musical comedy 鈥淚 Love My Wife,鈥� 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.

鈥淲e just keep resurfacing,鈥� Smothers commented in 1997. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just not in everyone鈥檚 face long enough to really get old.鈥�

After a successful 20th anniversary 鈥淪mothers Brothers Comedy Hour鈥� 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 鈥淵o-Yo Man,鈥� 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