'Hee Haw's' LuLu Roman Dies at 78

LuLu Roman, a longtime regular on the country comedy variety series "Hee Haw," died Wednesday in Bellingham, Washington. She was 78.

Her son, Damon Roman, confirmed her death to THR.

She was born Bertha Louise Hable in Dallas on May 6, 1946, and grew up in an orphanage.

She struggled with her weight, which she said was the result of a thyroid issue, eventually performing as "LuLu Roman, World's Biggest Go-Go Dancer" as a teenager.

As a performer in her hippie days, she was befriended by country legend Buck Owens, who vouched for her when "Hee Haw" went into production in 1969. In a 2020 interview with Florida Weekly, she self-deprecatingly said, "They told him the type of characters they were looking for: a gorgeous blonde, one gorgeous brunette, one boy-next-door type, one girl-next-door type, one fat, dumb man and one fat, dumb woman. And Buck Owens said to them, 'I got a fat girl for you. She's perfect.'"

Of course, the real reason he felt she was perfect was her quick wit.

She excelled on the show, but was forced to leave after a drug conviction in the early '70s, returning in 1973 after becoming a born-again Christian.

Turning over a new leaf, Roman sang on the show, launching a career as a gospel musician that began with her first album in 1974. She went on to win a 1985 Dove Award for her album "You Were Loving Me," and to record with Dolly Parton for her 2013 set "At Last."

Roman is a 1999 inductee into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and told the story of her life in "This Is My Story; This Is My Song" in 2019.

She acted in the film "Corky" (1972), helped anchor the spin-off series "Hee Haw Honeys" (1978-1979), and was a guest on such shows as "The Love Boat" (1983) and "Touched by an Angel" (2001).

Roman had the distinction of appearing on more than 150 episodes of "Hee Haw," including the first and last episodes — in 1969 and 1993.

She is survived by her son, and was preceded in death by her son Justin, who died in 2017.