Coca-Cola sued by Johnny Cash estate over soundalike ad

By Blake Brittain Nov 26 (Reuters) - The estate of legendary country singer Johnny Cash has sued Coca-Cola (KO.N) for allegedly exploiting his likeness by hiring a soundalike to sing in a Coca-Cola commercial. The estate argued in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Nashville federal court that the soft-drink giant violated Tennessee’s right of publicity law by using a Cash impersonator in a college football-themed advertisement. Spokespeople for Coca-Cola and attorneys for Cash’s estate did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the complaint on Wednesday. The lawsuit said that Coca-Cola began airing the ad, called “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work,” during NCAA football games in August. The estate alleged that the company hired a Johnny Cash tribute singer who sounded “remarkably” like Cash to sing the ad’s backing music. Coca-Cola’s ad tricked consumers into thinking the Cash estate endorsed its products, according to the complaint, which cited several social media comments that noted the singer’s similarity to Cash. “Despite capitalizing on the intrinsic value of Johnny Cash’s legendary Voice, Coca-Cola never even bothered to ask the trust for a license,” the lawsuit said. Cash’s estate cited a 1988 ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for singer and actress Bette Midler in a dispute with Ford Motor Co over its use of a soundalike in a company ad without her permission. The estate requested a court order blocking Coca-Cola from running the ad and unspecified monetary damages. The case is John R. Cash Revocable Trust v. Coca-Cola Co, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, No. 3:25-cv-01373. For the estate: Tim Warnock and Keane Barger of Loeb & Loeb For Coca-Cola: attorney information not yet available