Johnny Cash's Estate Is Suing Coca-Cola

Johnny Cash's estate is suing Coca-Cola, claiming the beverage company used an imitation of the late music legend's unmistakable voice in a national ad campaign—without permission. The lawsuit, filed in Tennessee, argues that Coca-Cola "pirated" Cash's "legendary and distinctive" vocals for its "Fan Work Is Thirsty Work" ad, which aired during the 2025 NCAA college football season, WKRN reports.

The Cash estate claims an ad company commissioned by Coca-Cola apparently hired a tribute singer to mimic the iconic singer and "trick consumers into believing it was Cash's actual voice." The suit also claims the tribute singer openly admitted on social media that the goal was to capitalize on the "goodwill associated with the Voice of Johnny Cash." Since Cash's death in 2003, the trust says his voice has only been licensed twice, both times for Super Bowl ads. The lawsuit alleges Coca-Cola's actions were intentional and seeks a jury trial and damages exceeding $75,000.

Cash's estate points to Tennessee's recently enacted Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, aka the ELVIS Act, which is designed to protect artists against unauthorized commercial use of their voice, especially in the era of artificial intelligence. Parade describes the lawsuit as a "pivotal, early test of this new federal Act's power against corporate advertising practices," which could set a precedent for artists' rights cases.