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

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Bill Cody, the Grand Ole Opry and longtime WSM Radio host who woke up listeners with his velvet voice and country music lore, has died.He was 67.The Tennessee radio station confirmed Cody’s death on social media on Tuesday, writing, “It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dear friend and beloved WSM voice, Bill Cody.“A singular presence on WSM-AM Nashville for more than three decades, 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.

He joined WSM in 1994 and had Charlie Daniels as his first in-studio guest.He built more than a morning show; he created a gathering place rooted in his deep love for country music and the people behind it.”In late May, Cody’s daughter Hannah Davis shared that the radio host had been admitted to the intensive care unit with 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 wrote on Facebook.“We need a miracle and we know God is able.” Television British actor Anthony Head, whose decades-long acting career includes roles in ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ has died.

The actor’s family announced his death on Friday.He was 72.On Tuesday, she wrote that Cody had died peacefully surrounded by family and “was welcomed into heaven as thunder bellowed outside, and we laughed because we knew it was a band of angels rejoicing.”With nearly 50 years on the airwaves across syndicated radio, television and film, Cody was honored with a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in the fall of 2024.

His credits included the film “American Saturday Night: Live Fr...