The country music community is mourning Bill Cody, the legendary WSM Radio host and Grand Ole Opry announcer who died on June 9, 2026, at age 67 following complications from kidney and heart failure.
WSM Radio announced specific memorial plans to honor the beloved broadcaster, including a marathon broadcast featuring the best moments from “Coffee, Country & Cody” and a dedication of the Grand Ole Opry’s live Saturday night broadcast to his memory. Country star Vince Gill publicly mourned Cody in an Instagram post, sharing memories of the broadcaster and calling him a legendary voice of WSM Radio and the Opry.
The station confirmed the news in an emotional Instagram tribute. “Bill will be remembered for his kindness, humility, and genuine gift for connection,” WSM wrote. “He was a trusted voice, a generous friend, and a constant companion to generations of listeners.”
Honors From an Industry That Loved Him Back
Born Trent Clutts in Huntsville, Alabama, the broadcaster changed his name in honor of Buffalo Bill Cody before embarking on a career that would span nearly five decades. Cody received his star on the Music City Walk of Fame, was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame, and will be posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame at a ceremony on July 25, 2026, in Franklin, Tennessee.
Country music icon Garth Brooks delivered perhaps the most resonant tribute. “There might be someone somewhere in the world who loved country music as much, but nobody loved country music more than Bill Cody,” Brooks said.
A Broadcasting Life That Began Early
Cody first stepped behind a microphone in 1971, when he was just 12 years old, beginning an industry career he would go on to define for much of his adult life. From those early small-station shifts, he climbed steadily through the ranks of country radio until he landed at WSM, the Nashville station that has carried the Grand Ole Opry into American homes since 1925.
For more than 30 years, he hosted the station’s flagship morning show, “Coffee, Country & Cody,” which became a daily ritual for listeners across Tennessee and beyond. His easy laugh, encyclopedic command of country music history, and comfortable rapport with artists made the program essential listening. Stars dropped by not out of obligation, but because they wanted to — the conversation was always going to be good.
Cody also served a long-running stint as an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry itself, lending his voice to the live broadcasts that have anchored country music’s identity for a century. For audiences tuning in from out of state, he often was the Opry — the friendly narrator who explained what was happening on stage and connected the night’s lineup to the genre’s deep traditions.
The Voice of the Opry
Only a handful of announcers have been so completely identified with the Grand Ole Opry’s sound that their voices became part of the experience itself. Cody belonged to that small group, speaking directly to one person at a time even when his audience numbered in the millions.
Colleagues frequently described Cody as someone who lifted up the artists around him, who knew the names of every songwriter and side musician who passed through Music Row, and who treated newcomers with the same respect he reserved for legends. Listeners said turning on WSM in the morning felt like sitting down with an old friend — that was his gift.
For a man who spent 48 years on the radio, the most fitting tribute may be the simplest one. Somewhere in Nashville on the morning of June 10, someone turned on WSM out of habit, expecting to hear Bill Cody. They will not hear him again. But the country music he championed, and the institution he helped carry into a new century, will go on — and that, by every account, is exactly what he would have wanted.
Cody’s visitation and funeral were held at the Grand Ole Opry House on June 15, drawing an audience of approximately 1,600 people. Vince Gill, country singer Carly Pearce, and musician John Carter Cash performed on the Opry stage in front of a flower-covered casket, while Garth Brooks, country star Dierks Bentley, and country singer Trisha Yearwood were among those in attendance. The service was broadcast live on WSM Radio 650 AM and streamed worldwide on the station’s Facebook page.