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April 17, 2024 |
Roy Clark kept on ‘pickin’ n ‘grinnin’ TULSA, OK - Roy Clark, a legendary country music star and co-host of the famed "Hee Haw" television series, died Thursday at age 85 due to complications from pneumonia, according to a news release from his publicist Jeremy Westby.
Clark passed away at his home in Tulsa. Clark was one of the world’s finest multi-instrumentalists and one of the first cross-over artists to land singles on the pop and country charts. He was the pioneer who helped turn Branson, Missouri, into the live music capital of the world (the Ozark town today boasts more seats than Broadway). And his talents turned "Hee Haw" into the longest-running syndicated show in television history. “A TV camera goes right through your soul,” says the man who starred on "Hee Haw" for 24 years and was a frequent guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. “If you’re a bad person, people pick that up. I’m a firm believer in smiles. I used to believe that everything had to be a belly laugh. But I’ve come to realize that a real sincere smile is mighty powerful.” "Hee Haw" premiered in 1969. Co-starring Clark and Buck Owens, it was an immediate hit. But the highlight of his career, he said, was pioneering, sold-out 1976 tour of the then-Soviet Union. "Even though they didn't know the words, there were tears in their eyes when I played 'Yesterday.' Folks there said we wouldn't realize in our lifetime the good we'd accomplished, just because of our pickin' around," Clark said. The self-described "hillbilly singer" earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award and membership in the Gibson (Guitar) Hall of Fame. He was the first country artist inducted into the Entertainers Hall of Fame and the 63rd member of the Grand Ole Opry. Roy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Clark is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara, sons Roy Clark II and wife Karen. A memorial celebration will be held in Tulsa, the Tulsa World reported. Story Date: November 22, 2018
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