Bill Cody, the longtime WSM Radio host known for “Coffee, Country & Cody” and a familiar voice on the Grand Ole Opry, died Tuesday at 67 after a battle with kidney and heart failure.
Bill Cody spent more than three decades greeting listeners in the mornings, and by Tuesday evening the familiar warmth of his voice gave way to a silence the country music world immediately felt.
WSM Radio confirmed his death on Tuesday, sharing the news with fans in a tribute posted to Instagram: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dear friend and beloved WSM voice, Bill Cody.” He died at 67, following a battle with kidney and heart failure.
Cody joined WSM in 1994 and quickly became a daily presence for listeners on WSM-AM Nashville. His morning program. “Coffee. Country & Cody. ” ran with what the station described as “a broad smile” and “a conversational ease. ” delivered by someone with an “unerring ability to make both artists and audiences feel at home.” The station noted that Cody’s first in-studio guest at WSM was Charlie Daniels. and that he didn’t simply build a morning show—he created “a gathering place rooted in his deep love for country music and the people behind it.”.
That affection reached well beyond radio hours. WSM said Cody’s voice became “synonymous” with the Grand Ole Opry broadcast, and that his work extended across television and syndicated radio, bringing country music to audiences “far beyond Nashville.”
Cody’s path to broadcasting began earlier than the spotlight would ever show. WSM Radio described how his passion was inspired by time spent at a small Kentucky radio station with his father—an early start that ultimately led him to the city he once dreamed about as a young boy.
In a career filled with recognition, Cody was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame. He also received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame, and he was set to receive a posthumous induction into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.
The tributes didn’t focus only on honors. WSM’s message closed with a more personal remembrance: “More than his accolades. Bill will be remembered for his kindness. humility. and genuine gift for connection.” The station added that he was a “trusted voice. ” “a generous friend. ” and “a constant companion to generations of listeners. ” and said WSM would honor him 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.”.
Cody’s health struggles became public again in May, when his daughter shared that the radio legend was in critical condition and in need of heart and kidney transplants.
As the news spread Tuesday, country stars offered their condolences in their own words. Garth Brooks wrote, “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 called Cody “one of its pillars,” saying, “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.” Bentley added: “No one loved country music. its history and its characters more than Bill Cody. Prayers to his family and Charlie and Kelly and everyone that knew and loved him at WSM and the Opry.”.
Carly Pearce also posted a tribute. writing that Cody “devoted his life to telling the story of country music.” She added: “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. He will be so very missed on this side of heaven. but I rejoice knowing he is with our Heavenly Father.”.
The details of Cody’s life—his decades on WSM-AM Nashville. his ties to the Grand Ole Opry. his early days in a Kentucky radio station. and the honors that followed—were all familiar to listeners long before Tuesday’s announcement. But the timing of his death. after kidney and heart failure. landed like a final cadence in a show many grew up with. For a world built on songs. his most lasting impact may be the way he made country music feel like home.
Bill Cody Grand Ole Opry announcer WSM Radio Coffee Country & Cody Charlie Daniels Country Radio Hall of Fame Music City Walk of Fame Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Garth Brooks Dierks Bentley Carly Pearce