Lulu Roman of ‘Hee Haw’ Dies at 78, Stars Share Their Fond Memories
Lulu Roman, best known for her hilarious hijinks on Hee Haw and later as a gospel singer, died at the age of 78 on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. No cause of death was given at this time but her son Damon Roman confirmed the sad news.
She was born in a home for unwed mothers on May 6, 1946, and later lived in a Baptist facility for orphans. She developed a thyroid condition that caused her to be overweight and was never adopted. While attending high school, she also developed a drug addiction. After graduating, she found comedy and starred in her own act as “Lulu Roman, the World’s Biggest Go-Go Dancer” in nightclubs owned by Jack Ruby.
CBS/Everett Collection
Roman became friends with Buck Owens, who would later star in Hee Haw and got her a spot. During its impressive run, Roman appeared in the first episode of Hee Haw and others, plus its spinoff Hee Haw Honeys. She left the show after being arrested for drug possession in 1971 and served a prison sentence. Afterward, she converted to Christianity and started singing gospel music, convincing the producers to allow her to sing on the show.
While she continued acting here and there on The Love Boat and Touched by an Angel, she mainly focused on singing and released over a dozen albums. She was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. For those interested in learning more about her life, she wrote an autobiography called This Is My Story; This Is My Song, in 2019.
Her colleagues and friends share tributes
“I am saddened that Lulu Roman has passed. I have known Lulu since the beginning of my career and she has been a special friend ever since. It’s hard to say goodbye. I will miss my old friend.” – Crystal Gayle
“So sorry to hear of Lulu Roman passing. I loved her joyful attitude! She always lifted everyone up and her voice will live on forever in the country music community. She was a legend in our industry and will be missed!” – Lee Greenwood
“We were as different as night & day. Working together since 1972 we were the original Hee Haw Honeys and the original Kornfield Friends. Yet we would often squabble and then make up by saying ‘I love you Lu’ and she would say ‘I love you too Sugar.’ Lulu was a gift in my life. She played my mother twice and yet she was just 3 years older than me. We were Gossipy Girls and now Lulu is my angel in heaven. I thank God for her time here on earth and I know we will all see her again in that big Kornfield in the sky someday. She will sing us home. Lulu, I will always love you.” – Misty Rowe
“Lulu Roman was always so friendly with everyone. Even though she was a comedian, she had a deep faith and strength in life. What you saw was who she was. She was the same person on stage as she was off stage. I’ve known her for so many years and her beautiful spirit will always live on.” – William Lee Golden, The Oak Ridge Boys
“Lulu has been a part of my life for the past 56 years, from the day we first met at WLAC in May, 1969, for the first taping of Hee Haw. From that moment we have shared laughter and tears, raised children, lost too many friends, wrapped each other in consolation and relished the amazing friendship and family Hee Haw gave us. It is not easy to say goodbye, even knowing she’s in a far better place, within a circle of unending love and joy. I will miss her and will cherish every sweet, silly glorious memory of times spent together.” – Cathy Baker
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Classic Comedy Duos
March 2021
Chuckle at television & films funniest comic duos.
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