Longtime Grand Ole Opry announcer and WSM-AM host Bill Cody has passed away. Cody was 67 years old when he died on June 9, after battling a lengthy illness.
Last month, Cody’s daughter, Hannah, asked for prayers for her father, who was on life support, after going into both heart and kidney failure.
“After weeks of being on a roller coaster of emotions, tests, dialysis, medications, steps forwards and steps backwards, it was determined earlier this week that his only option for survival would be a double transplant, heart and kidney,” she said in part.
Cody was placed on life support, while the family waited for his body to get strong enough to receive a transplant. Sadly, Cody was not able to recover from his illness.
Bill Cody’s Extraordinary Career in Country Music
Few people have left their mark on country music like Cody. Since 1994, he has been the host of the WSM-AM morning show, Coffee, Country & Cody. The Kentucky native was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 2008, and received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2024. Cody will be posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2026.
Per a press release, Cody “will be remembered for his kindness, humility, and genuine gift for connection. He was a trusted voice, a generous friend, and a constant companion to generations of listeners.”
Country Artists Speak Out About the Loss of Bill Cody
Several artists are speaking out about Cody’s passing, and the immense loss it leaves in the country music community.
“There might be someone somewhere in the world who loved country music as much, but nobody loved country music more than Bill Cody,” Garth Brooks says.
“Country music has lost one of its pillars,” Dierks Bentley remarks. “Bill was just as important to the fabric of our music and city as any artist, songwriter, or musician. No one loved country music, its history, and its characters more than Bill Cody.”
Carly Pearce posted a sweet tribute to Cody on social media.
“I first met Bill backstage at the Opry back in 2014,” Pearce writes. “’What’s your name? You look like you sing,’ he said. He gave me his email that night and asked me to send him some of my music. I had nothing going on at the time, but he immediately became my champion and started having me in regularly on his radio show. Over the last decade, he became not only a mentor and champion, but my dear friend. He never greeted you with anything less than the warmest smile and devoted his life to country music.
“It feels cruel to think I will never hear his voice on WSM or hug his neck as I walk onto the Opry stage,” she continues. “I love you, Bill. Thank you for your belief in my talents from the beginning and for being my friend. I will miss you so very much. The last post is when I asked him to write something that I could use as I was having meetings trying to get a record deal all those years ago in 2014…”
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