Bill Cody, the voice of WSM Radio and the Grand Ole Opry, dies at 67

Bill Cody, the Grand Ole Opry and longtime WSM Radio big who woke up listeners with his velvet dependable and state euphony lore, has died. He was 67.

The Tennessee vigor presumption confirmed Cody’s decease connected societal media connected Tuesday, writing, “It is with dense hearts that we stock the passing of our beloved person and beloved WSM voice, Bill Cody.

“A singular beingness connected WSM-AM Nashville for much than 3 decades, Bill welcomed listeners each greeting connected Coffee, Country & Cody with a wide smile, a conversational ease, and an unerring quality to marque some artists and audiences consciousness astatine home. He joined WSM successful 1994 and had Charlie Daniels arsenic his archetypal in-studio guest. He built much than a greeting show; helium created a gathering spot rooted successful his heavy emotion for state euphony and the radical down it.”

In precocious May, Cody’s girl Hannah Davis shared that the vigor big had been admitted to the intensive attraction portion with bosom and kidney failure. “After weeks of being connected a roller coaster of emotions, tests, dialysis, medications, steps forwards and steps backwards, it was determined earlier this week that his lone enactment for endurance would beryllium a treble transplant, bosom and kidney,” she wrote connected Facebook. “We request a occurrence and we cognize God is able.”

On Tuesday, she wrote that Cody had died peacefully surrounded by household and “was welcomed into eden arsenic thunder bellowed outside, and we laughed due to the fact that we knew it was a set of angels rejoicing.”

With astir 50 years connected the airwaves crossed syndicated radio, tv and film, Cody was honored with a prima connected the Music City Walk of Fame successful the autumn of 2024. His credits included the movie “American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry,” the tv amusement “Tennessee’s Wild Side” connected PBS, “Ray Stevens’ Nashville” connected RFD-TV, and GAC TV’s “Master Series.”

In 2008, the beloved Nashville big was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame, and crossed his career, helium earned aggregate nominations from the Country Music Assn., the Academy of Country Music and Billboard for his contributions to broadcasting.

Born Trent Clutts connected Dec. 16, 1958, successful Huntsville, Ala., Cody was inspired to prosecute a vocation successful broadcasting during visits to a Kentucky vigor presumption with his dad. His begetter was a Southern Baptist minister, and his Sunday greeting sermons were broadcast connected the vigor successful the afternoons. Cody couldn’t get capable of the goings-on astatine the presumption erstwhile the 2 would halt by to driblet disconnected cassettes.

In 1971, erstwhile the vigor big was 17, helium was hired arsenic a nighttime deejay astatine WVLK successful Lexington, Ky., but the programme manager didn’t deliberation “Trent Clutts” had the close ringing for radio. Cody named himself aft “Buffalo Bill,” 1 of the astir celebrated showmen of the American Old West, and utilized the moniker for the remainder of his career.

As a teenager, Cody noticed a miss named Rebecca during survey hallway and, according to Davis, winked astatine her from crossed the room. The wink sealed the woody and the 2 spent much than 50 years arsenic a couple, welcomed 3 children — Luke, Hannah, and Levi, who died successful 2025 — and yet grandchildren, who called him PoPo. The household lived successful Cross Plains, Tenn.

“Like truthful galore of america astatine the Opry, Bill Cody lived retired his dreams connected the Opry stage. More times than I could number helium and I would look astatine each different arsenic if to say, ‘Can you judge we get to bash this?’” Dan Rogers, enforcement shaper astatine the Grand Ole Opry, wrote connected societal media.

“Even better, helium made Opry audiences tuned successful from astir the satellite consciousness similar they were present too, themselves a portion of state music’s astir celebrated show. Then, he’d get up aboriginal the adjacent greeting and — with that signature grin successful his dependable — archer everybody astir it connected his show.

“He was the champion of friends to state euphony and to everyone who was a portion of it. We’re definite going to miss him.”