Johnny Cash’s Estate Is Suing Coca-Cola
In this 1969 file photo, country singer Johnny Cash is photographed at an unknown location. (AP Photo, file)
Johnny Cash’s estate has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola, accusing the company of using a sound-alike voice to imitate the late music icon in a national advertising campaign without authorization. The complaint, submitted in a Tennessee court, asserts that Coca-Cola “pirated” Cash’s unmistakable and celebrated vocals for its “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” commercial, which aired throughout the 2025 NCAA college football season, according to WKRN.
In the filing, the estate says an advertising agency working for Coca-Cola apparently hired a tribute performer specifically to mimic Cash’s signature voice, allegedly intending to mislead viewers into thinking the vocals belonged to Cash himself. The suit also notes that the tribute singer publicly acknowledged on social media that the project’s goal was to benefit from the “goodwill associated with the Voice of Johnny Cash.”
The Cash trust points out that since the singer’s passing in 2003, his voice has been licensed only twice—both for Super Bowl commercials—underscoring how tightly controlled its use has been. The estate claims Coca-Cola acted knowingly and is requesting a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000.
Central to the case is Tennessee’s newly implemented Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, known as the ELVIS Act, which aims to prevent unauthorized commercial use of an individual’s likeness or voice, particularly amid advances in artificial-intelligence technology. Parade describes the lawsuit as an important early test of the Act’s reach and a potential landmark moment for protecting artists’ rights in advertising.
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