Lulu Roman, one of the final remaining cast members of the beloved Southern-style sketch comedy and variety show Hee Haw, has passed away. She was 78.
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Damon Roman, Lulu Roman’s son, told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother died on Wednesday, April 23, in Bellingham, Washington. She had moved to Washington last year to live with him.
Roman made her debut on the very first episode of CBS’s Hee Haw in June 1969 and remained part of the show through its final syndicated episode in June 1993.
Roman’s path on Hee Haw had its ups and downs.
She began as a background character on the Nashville-based show but soon earned speaking roles in fan-favorite segments like “The Culhanes.” In this recurring sketch, the family sat in a row on a couch, delivering perfectly timed deadpan humor.
Roman left Hee Haw in March 1971 following her arrest for drug possession. She admitted to using marijuana, speed, LSD, and meth, and was sentenced to four years in prison 10 months later, per THR.
However, in 1973, she experienced a life-changing conversion to Christianity. This transformation led to her being rehired on the show. This time out, she persuaded the producers to let her perform as a singer.
Born in 1942 at a home for unwed mothers, Roman was later placed in a Dallas orphanage as a child. Throughout her upbringing, a thyroid condition led to significant weight gain, making her the target of frequent teasing. Sadly, Roman remained in the orphanage until she aged out, never having been adopted.
Lulu Roman Befriends Buck Owens, Leading Her to ‘Hee Haw’
After graduating from W.W. Samuell High School in 1964, she supported herself by performing as part of a comedy act titled “Lulu Roman, the World’s Biggest Go-Go Dancer,” entertaining audiences in nightclubs owned by Jack Ruby.
Through her performance, she befriended country superstar Buck Owens, who appreciated her humor and helped her secure her starring role on Hee Haw.
Between 1978 and 1979, Roman starred in the spinoff Hee Haw Honeys, alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and Misty Rowe. Her television appearances extended to popular shows like The Love Boat and Touched by an Angel. On the big screen, she showcased her talent in the 1972 action thriller Corky, where she appeared alongside Robert Blake.
Roman debuted her music career in 1974 with the release of her first album, the beginning of a discography spanning more than a dozen records. In 1985, she earned a Dove Award for her acclaimed LP You Were Loving Me. Later, in 2013, she collaborated with legends like Dolly Parton and George Jones on At Last, an album celebrating timeless standards.
She was honored with induction into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Two decades later, in 2019, her autobiography, This Is My Story; This Is My Song, was published.
Roman’s cause of death remains unknown. Her youngest son, Justin, passed away in October 2017.