Tom Timberlake, a founding member of The Kevin Prater Band, has died following a brief battle with cancer at 75 years of age. He passed on January 2, at the Southern Ohio Medical Center Hospice Center in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Timberlake played banjo and guitar with the Prater Band, but was also a fine singer, and played the other bluegrass instruments as well. Also a proficient songwriter, he performed with a number of other notable groups during his life, including the James King Band and Robin Tackett & Midnight Storm.
His music took him several times to the Grand Ole Opry stage, where he was especially proud of playing as the final Lonzo in the Lonzo & Oscar show.
Tom retired from traveling in 2018, but continued to perform locally in the Kentucky/Ohio region.
Friends and fans will long recall Tom’s ability to share a story, and he loved to regale them with tales from his touring days. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held at noon on Thursday, January 8, at the Carman Funeral Home in Flatwoods, KY. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that cash donations to the family to assist with burial expenses would be appropriate.
R.I.P., Tom Timberlake.
