Hee Haw comedian and singer Lulu Roman has died at 78

Lulu Roman, who was one of the last surviving cast members of the American TV variety show Hee Haw, has passed away at the age of 78. Her former publicist Ben Laurro told People magazine that “Lulu Roman was unsung. She endured much adversity in her life that helped her become a joy to others.”

Lulu Roman, whose name at birth was Bertha Louise Hable, was born in a home for unwed mothers in 1942 and grew up in a Dallas orphanage. She developed a thyroid condition growing up, leading to weight gain which resulted in her being teased.

Lulu Roman discussed losing weight on The 700 Club and said that “I was hired to be the fat girl.” Two decades after the show Hee Haw show ran, Lulu Roman talks about losing twenty dress sizes, she was in her 60s at the time.

Lulu Roman also spoke about being abandoned as a child and said: “I think food became a drug the day probably the day they put me in an orphans home,” With tears in her eyes, she said: “Sugar became my friend,” and then added “because it didn’t hurt me and it didn’t call me names. Sugar became a comfort to me when I was very young.

“I had a thyroid problem, I was never a small child, I was always round. It was hard for me to lose weight, I tried everything there was and I couldn’t.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Roman appeared on the first episode of CBS’ Hee Haw in June 1969 and on the last one, with the show in syndication, in June 1993. During its impressive run, she reinvented herself as a gospel singer, and she would release more than a dozen albums, perform in concert and record with the likes of Dolly Parton.”

Lulu Roman was arrested for drug possession in 1971 and left Hee Haw, she was rehired in 1973 and by then had converted to Christianity and said: “After I gave my heart to Jesus, the Lord started working on me and making me into quite a different person than when I started.”

Lulu’s youngest son Justin predeceased her in October 2017. According to Soap Central, Justin passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. Soap Central reported that “The Touched by an Angel actress was travelling with her assistant Kim Tygart to Branson, Missouri, when she heard the news.”