Nashville Mourns as Country Radio Icon Bill Cody Dies at 67

NASHVILLE, TN — The voice that welcomed generations of country music fans each morning has gone quiet. Bill Cody, the legendary WSM-AM morning host, Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and longtime Grand Ole Opry announcer, died Tuesday afternoon following a lengthy hospitalization for heart and kidney failure. He was 67.

The broadcasting fixture had been in critical condition in recent weeks awaiting a heart and kidney transplant. His daughter, Hannah Davis, expressed the family’s grief and faith in a poignant Facebook post:

“We will never be able to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and the sincere prayers over the last few weeks. We know God heard them and we feel a deep peace that one day we will understand why God chose to still take him.”

A Pillar of the Country Music Community

Born Trent Clutts in Lebanon, Kentucky, Cody fell in love with radio as a child, eventually changing his name to Bill Cody at age 17 at the suggestion of an early program director. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, his warm demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge of the genre transformed him from a disc jockey into a crucial piece of Nashville’s cultural fabric.

WSM Radio issued a statement honoring its morning mainstay, who joined the station in 1994 and became synonymous with its flagship show, Coffee, Country & Cody:

“Bill welcomed listeners each morning on Coffee, Country & Cody with a broad smile, a conversational ease, and an unerring ability to make both artists and audiences feel at home. In the days ahead, WSM will honor Bill with a special marathon of unforgettable moments from Coffee, Country & Cody, celebrating a legacy that will forever be part of our station and our community.”

The Grand Ole Opry announced that its upcoming Saturday night broadcast will be dedicated entirely to Cody’s memory.

Tributes Pour In from Music City

News of Cody’s passing shook the country music industry, drawing immediate tributes from the genre’s biggest icons, who viewed him as a peer rather than just an interviewer.

• Garth Brooks: “There might be someone somewhere in the world who loved country music as much, but nobody loved country music more than Bill Cody.”

• Dierks Bentley: “Country music has lost one of its pillars. Bill was just as important to the fabric of our music and city as any artist, songwriter, or musician.”

• Carly Pearce: “He devoted his life to telling the story of country music. With a legacy spanning decades, he will be marked as one of the greatest of all time. For me, he was so much more than that. He was my friend.”

A Lifelong Journey on the Airwaves

Cody’s professional radio journey began in 1971 at WLBN in his hometown of Lebanon, KY. He steadily built his reputation across the regions with on-air roles at several stations before moving to Nashville.

Beyond his daily local broadcast, Cody commanded a massive national presence. He hosted Jones Radio Network’s syndicated Great American Country (GAC) Classic Country Weekend with Bill Cody, television’s GAC’s Master Series, and frequently emceed the Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame induction dinners.

Cody’s extensive contributions earned him a spot in the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2008 and a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2024. He is also scheduled to be inducted posthumously into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame later this year.

Cody is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife, Rebecca, and their three children. Information regarding funeral services has not yet been released.