Bob Boatman, 59; Director of ‘Hee Haw’

Bob Boatman, director of the popular country television show “Hee Haw” and lighting consultant to four U.S. Presidents, has died in an apparent accident in his home in Hendersonville, Tenn. He was 59.

Police in the Nashville suburb said Boatman fatally shot himself in the stomach Monday. They said the accident occurred when Boatman pulled out a drawer containing a .22-caliber revolver, causing the gun to fall to the floor and discharge.

Boatman had been director of “Hee Haw” since 1972, shortly after the weekly variety show from mythical Kornfield Kounty was canceled by CBS. For the last 17 years, it has been syndicated to 202 stations covering 93% of the country.

When he was preparing “Hee Haw’s” 20th anniversary show in 1987, Boatman explained the show’s longevity by saying, “It just goes to show that a good idea works over and over and over again.”

Boatman, who moved from Hollywood to Nashville in 1970 to work as “Hee Haw’s” lighting director, previously handled lighting for the 1972 Republican national convention and the White House banquet for returning Vietnam prisoners.

As special lighting consultant for the White House Communications Agency, he worked with former Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

Tom Griscom, senior vice president for broadcasting for Opryland USA Inc., which owns “Hee Haw,” said through a spokesman that Boatman’s death had been a shock to him and to the show’s entire cast.

“Bob was an artist in the true sense of the word,” Griscom said. “He could translate a script into a vivid and entertaining visual experience.”

“Bob had a close relationship with the stars and talent with whom he worked,” the executive said. “They all loved him and admired his work.”

Boatman is survived by his wife, Anne, a manager of the cable music Nashville Network, seven children and two grandchildren.