Thaddeus Matthews obit

Thaddeus Matthews, controversial radio host known as the 'Cussing Pastor,' has died at 67

 

He was not on the list.

Thaddeus Matthews, the controversial Memphis pastor and radio host, has died, according to friends, family and social media posts.

"No more sickness and no more worries. You said you were tired and wanted to rest. On today at 2:25pm, you transitioned peacefully surrounded by family and friends," a social media post from Matthews' wife Melanie Matthews said.

Matthews was also known as "The Cussing Pastor" as he frequently posted profanity-filled rants in his preaching. According to public records, he was 67.

Matthews had multiple viral moments during his career. Those moments saw him featured in an episode of Tosh.0, a comedy show, and a video of his (titled “I don’t give a s*** Saturday”) was sampled on the song “Situations” by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib.

Matthews was a controversial figure in Memphis religious and political spaces, aside from his profanity-filled sermons. In 2012, he faced legal trouble for posting child pornography on his Facebook page. In 2015 he was given probation and avoided jail time for the post.

Despite a guilty plea to tampering with evidence that landed him with probation for the post, Matthews maintained that he posted the image in hopes of identifying the victim.

In 2016, Matthews was arrested and charged with harassment. He was arrested again for harassment in 2022, in a case that alleged he violated a protection order and violated Tennessee’s “revenge porn” law.

As he was being prosecuted for that case, then-Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich appeared on his radio show. Matthews avoided profane language during the appearance and later endorsed Weirich.

Weirich, at the time, was seeking reelection. She went on to lose that race to current DA Steve Mulroy.

Matthews would frequently talk about politics on his show, injecting gossip into local political discourse. During the 2019 city council elections, he was lambasted by LGBTQ organizations for homophobic remarks made about an openly gay council candidate.

Multiple recent posts on Matthews' personal Facebook page show him in the hospital and reference hospital stays.