NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We're saying goodbye to a friend. Lulu Roman has died. She was 78. Lulu was a gospel singer, comedian, and one of the stars of the show Hee Haw. For years, Lulu would come here to NewsChannel 5's studios to tape episodes of Hee Haw.
"We been knowing each other 40 years now," said country singer T. Graham Brown. "We no doubt loved each other very much. I'm really gonna miss her."
Back in September, I met and interviewed Lulu for a Hee Haw retrospective.
"Lulu, you're lookin' like a star in those sunglasses," I told her at the time.
Lulu gave a big laugh.
Telling the Lulu Roman story, you can't do better than the woman herself, with some help from good friend T. Graham.
Now, Lulu's path to stardom was unconventional.
"I used to be the comedian in the strip joints in Dallas, Texas," Lulu told me in September. "I had to learn how to conduct myself! I was screamin' crazy back then."
In 1969, musician and friend Buck Owens recommended Lulu for one of the roles a new show.
"One boy next door. One fat dumb man. One fat dumb woman. Buck said, 'I got your girl. She's in Dallas!'" Lulu smiled.
Production began on Hee Haw at Channel 5.
The first time she met Carol Burnett, Lulu's mouth dropped open.
"She said, 'shut your mouth, child, you're fixin' to be one of us!'" she said.
Sure enough, Hee Haw was a hit. As a kid, T. Graham was watching those early shows.
"She was funny!" he said, thinking of those early shows. "I was 14-years-old, and I remember falling in love with her."
"I called her the truck slug," Lulu said, thinking back on one of her characters; a woman running a truck stop restaurant.
In the mid-80s, T. Graham started making guest appearances on Hee Haw. They say to never meet your heroes, but that's not how T. Graham sees it. He struck up a long, lasting friendship with Lulu. The two often shared stages, including Hee Haw cast reunion performances long after the show ended.
"I got to know her as a regular person," T. Graham said.
Lulu was often open about her struggles with substance abuse.
"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 said.
"That's one of the great parts of her story is overcoming her addiction," T. Graham said. "She tried to help other people by telling her story. It's a great story of redemption. I love her for that. She had a tough life, and she overcame all that."
Back in September, Lulu told me how proud she was of Hee Haw.
"I was so excited to get to be a part of it, and to get to do it and meet all these neat people," she said. "It was my family. I loved every second of it, I did. It really is a heart thing. It really is precious that people still remember it. That's rich. It is."
T. Graham talked to Lulu just days before she died.
"We were doing the Grand Ole Opry," he said. "We did a FaceTime with Lulu. She was living in Washington state. I was just looking at the phone talking to Lulu. 'How you doing honey?' We laughed, and that's the last memory I have is smiling and laughing with her."
"I think Lulu's legacy is that she made folks happy," he continued. "What a cool thing to be remembered for; she made people happy."
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
