Tenor Jimmy Roberts, Longtime Lawrence Welk Performer, Dies at 75
Jimmy Roberts was an American tenor best known as a regular performer on The Lawrence Welk Show, where he sang from 1955 until 1982.
Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, Jimmy Roberts caught the showbiz bug while serving in the U.S. Army after World War II. His first time singing in public came during a military play—he filled in with a song while the stage crew changed sets. After leaving the Army, he moved to Hollywood to study at the Herbert Wall Music School and pursue a career in music.
In 1954, Roberts was hired by Lawrence Welk as a soloist, performing with the orchestra on local television and at the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica. Just a year later, when Welk’s show debuted nationally on ABC, Roberts’ natural singing talent quickly won over audiences across the country. His warm voice and easygoing charm made him a fan favorite for nearly three decades on the popular television variety program.
Roberts was married twice. He had two sons, Gary and Steven, with his first wife, Jane. In 1985, he married his second wife, Vi, and they remained together until his death.
Roberts passed away from bone cancer in Clearwater, Florida, in 1999—just two months shy of his 76th birthday.