News and Observations from Wapella, Illinois: Home of the Wildcats.

Facebook Activity for Wapella

Sunday, January 11, 2009

RIP Jon Hager


Jon Hager, of the Hager Twins Country Act has died at age 67. The Hager Twins, well documented by Wapella.com, were a comedy staple for many years with their unique looks and multiple talents

Jon Hager, right, with his brother, Jim, left, and Roy Clark in 2007. The Hager Twins were in the original cast of “Hee Haw.”

He apparently died in his sleep, said Sam Lovullo, who produced “Hee Haw” and was a friend of Mr. Hager. He had been in poor health and was depressed since Jim, his identical twin, died in May, Mr. Lovullo said.

The twins were in the original cast of the show, which made its debut in 1969 satirizing country life with a mixture of music and comedy. Both were guitarists and drummers.

The Hagers had worked with the country star Buck Owens and joined “Hee Haw” when Owens signed as the show’s co-host with Roy Clark.

Mr. Lovullo said they were originally hired for their musical talent, but as the show went on they incorporated more comedy into their act.

“They had a fun personality,” Mr. Lovullo said. “They were also the answer to the Hee Haw Honeys. We were always looking for the other side of the gender — for good-looking hunks. They fit the bill very nicely.”

The Hagers left the program in the mid-1980s and continued to perform together.

The twins were born in the Chicago area and lived in Los Angeles before “Hee Haw.” They said in 1998 that they had been together all their lives except for three and a half years, after Jon left Los Angeles and moved to Nashville. Jim remained on the West Coast but eventually followed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was a powerful act. Sorry to see Jon's passing. Mod and I once saw the pair in an airport in the late 70's. I believe we were returning from our Spanish Club trip to Mexico. Somebody threw-up on the plane. Can't remember who.

AW

Anonymous said...

Sad to hear this news.

Blog Archive