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Gailard Sartain, ‘Hee Haw’ Star, Dies At 81

  • Gailard Sartain, an actor, comedian, and artist who was a Tulsa native born on September 18, 1943, passed away on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at his home in Tulsa after a prolonged illness.
  • He started his career as a cameraman at a Tulsa TV station and developed a late-night comedy program before being discovered in 1972 and cast as a regular on the country music variety show Hee Haw.
  • Sartain appeared on Hee Haw for 20 seasons, portrayed Jerry 'The Big Bopper' Richardson in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story, and acted in films like Mississippi Burning and The Outsiders.
  • In 2017, he explained that being repeatedly cast as a barefooted hillbilly was limiting, so he welcomed chances to take on different characters to showcase his versatility.
  • Sartain’s passing represents the loss of a veteran actor and comedian known for his portrayals of Southern everyman roles, who made a lasting impact on both television and film throughout many years.
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southarkansasnow.com broke the news in on Friday, June 20, 2025.
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