Hee Haw star Lulu Roman, gospel singer with 'voice of an angel', dies aged 78
The star died in Bellingham, Washington, where she moved several months ago to be closer to her son, on April 23, 2025. The cause of death has not been confirmed at the time of writing.
Lulu, real name Bertha Louise Hable, made her name on the comedy-music show Hee Haw, which aired from 1969 to 1993.
In the 70s, however, while recovering from a bout of drug addiction, she reinvented herself as a gospel singer, releasing several albums and even recording with country music icons like Dolly Parton.
Lulu's road to fame was not a traditional one. Born in Dallas, Texas, she was placed in an orphanage soon after her birth and suffered from a thyroid condition that caused her to be overweight.
After graduating from high school in 1964 she started working as a dancer at a local nightclub to pay the bills.
She'd perform under the name 'Lulu Roman, the World's Biggest Go-Go Dancer', and it was during one of these performances that she first met the country singer Buck Owens, who took her under his wing.
'He liked my sense of humour,' she told Florida Weekly in 2020. 'He told me once that he'd just sit and observe me. I said, 'Lord, have mercy!' He said it was really interesting: 'You're a master at quick wit.' I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but I got hold of it later.'
Buck, who was set to star in Hee Haw, then introduced Lulu to the producers, and the rest is history.
Sadly, in 1971, while performing on Hee Haw, Lulu was arrested for drug possession and was given a four-year prison sentence. After this, Lulu found religion, converting to Christianity, and became a gospel singer.
When she came back to Hee Haw in 1973, she'd regularly sing on the show, and this led to her music career taking off.
In 1999, Lulu was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and her autobiography, This is My Story; This Is My Song, was published in 2019.
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