LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Hee Haw" producer and co-creator Sam Lovullo has died at age 88.
Publicists the Brokaw Company said Thursday that Lovullo died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He had been suffering from heart disease.
Lovullo brought country music and humor to millions of American homes with "Hee Haw," the variety show that ran for two years on CBS starting in 1969 and went on to a 21-year run in syndication. Lovullo was producer for all but the last five years.
The show affectionately made light of rural culture but was actually produced in Nashville and featured music from country legends like Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn.
Lovullo's son Torey Lovullo is a former Major League Baseball player who is now the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.