Gailard Sartain, a longtime star of stage and screen, died of natural causes in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, June 19. He was 81.

Known for his work in country music variety series Hee Haw in the 1970s and movies including Mississippi Burning, The Outsiders and Fried Green Tomatoes, Sartain is survived by his wife of 36 years Mary Jo Sartain, their children Sarah, Esther and Ben, as well as granddaughter Chloe and great-grandson Teddy, per The Hollywood Reporter. 

“Actually, he died of silliness,” his wife told the outlet.

Born in Tulsa in 1943, Sartain began his entertainment career first as a cameraman at a local television station in his hometown, eventually playing a wizard named Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi in late-night comedy program The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting, which also featured Gary Busey. 

Via a talent scout, Sartain then became a regular performer on Hee Haw for almost 20 seasons, as well as variety shows Shields and Yarnell and The Sonny & Cher Show.

He garnered dozens of credits in movies, beginning with playing The Big Bopper in 1978's The Buddy Holly Story and a deleted scene in Steve Martin's 1979 hit, The Jerk. In 1980, he appeared in the first of three Ernest P. Worrell movies with Jim Varney (later appearing in the 1988 children’s series Hey Vern, It's Ernest!), as well as the first of nine total films directed by Alan Rudolph. 

Other notable films on Sartain’s resume were All of Me, The Grifters, Getting Even with Dad, Ali, The Replacements, The Hollywood Knights, The Big Easy and The Patriot. After 2005’s Elizabethtown, he retired from screen work.

“I came away with such wonderful memories of working with really special people,” he reflected in an interview with Tulsa World in 2017. “That was part of the fascination for me was not only the material and the work, but who is going to be there, because I was always a fan first.”

Sartain also worked in painting and illustrating, serving as an assistant to illustrator Paul Davis in New York City between pursuing college and a master’s degree.