Roy Linwood Clark

 Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018)

He was best known for having hosted Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Roy Clark was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre. During the 1970s, Clark frequently guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and enjoyed a 30-million viewership for Hee Haw. Clark was highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist and banjo player, and was also skilled on classical guitar and several other instruments. Although he had hit songs as a pop vocalist (e.g., "Yesterday, When I Was Young" and "Thank God and Greyhound"), his instrumental skill had an enormous effect on generations of bluegrass and country musicians. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1987,and, in 2009, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He published his autobiography, My Life in Spite of Myself, in 1994. On April 12, 2011, Clark was honored by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was honored by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame as Oklahoma's Music Ambassador for Children and presented with a commendation from Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. Clark died on November 15, 2018, at 85 at his Tulsa home due to complications of pneumonia. He is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.