(VIDEO) Longtime Nashville Entertainment Reporter Jimmy Carter Dies at 73

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jimmy Carter, a longtime entertainment reporter for WSMV Channel 4 who covered country music and Hollywood for decades, died Monday at age 73.

He passed away in his sleep, according to his granddaughter, Kira Sparks, and confirmation from his family to the station. No cause of death was publicly disclosed. Carter would have turned 74 on Wednesday.

Carter spent a combined 21 years as WSMV's entertainment reporter, working six years in the 1980s and 15 years from 2003 to 2018. He covered red carpets, award shows, Music Row events, and movie premieres, interviewing artists including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson, as well as actors such as Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, and Kevin Costner.

He also contributed to the syndicated program "Crook & Chase" and was a regular voice on WSM Radio's "Coffee, Country & Cody." WSM Radio posted a tribute describing him as a "trusted source, a gifted broadcaster, and a friend to countless artists, listeners and colleagues."

Meteorologist Melanie Layden, a former colleague, called him "a fixture in the WSMV heyday." Sparks wrote that Carter "would drop everything on a dime to be there for his family" and urged people to focus on memories rather than sadness.

Born Oct. 15, 1952, in Montgomery, Alabama, Carter began his broadcast career as a teenager at a local radio station. He later worked in radio, television production, and journalism, including roles at major networks and stations. In later years, he shared entertainment stories on social media and YouTube.

Carter is survived by three daughters, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, according to family statements. Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Wednesday.