The musician appeared on the variety show numerous times with his then-wife Ralna English.

Guy Hovis, frequent Lawrence Welk Show performer, dies at 84

The musician appeared on the variety show numerous times with his then-wife Ralna English.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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January 23, 2026 8:52 p.m. ET

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Guy Hovis and Ralna English on 'The Lawrence Welk Show'. Credit:

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Guy Hovis, who was known for appearances on TV's *The Lawrence Welk Show*, has died, his former wife and musical collaborator, Ralna English, announced Friday on social media. He was 84.

"As it has for me, this will come as a shock to many of you," English wrote on Facebook. "Guy has been in the hospital for several weeks. I spoke briefly with him on Monday and was deeply concerned. He took a turn for the worse and it hurts me to tell you, but he died peacefully last night."**

She added, "Needless to say, at this time we are all devastated and simply trying to cope with this tragic news. Thank you for your prayers for Julie and Sis and Guys entire family."

Born in Tupelo, Miss., Hovis first sang in church at 5 before deciding to study accounting at the University of Mississippi, according to his official bio. He left a job in that field to join the United States Army, where he ended up winning a talent show and taking a six-week tour, during which he fell in love with performing.

Guy Hovis with then-wife Ralna English and Lawrence Welk in 1977.

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While he briefly considered returning to accounting after two years in the military, he opted to follow a friend's advice that he work as a performer at the Horn nightclub in Santa Monica, Calif. It was there that a producer for TV host Art Linkletter noticed him and put him on.

Hovis also met English, who was already part of *The Lawrence Welk Show*, at the venue and, by 1969, the couple were performing together on the TV staple, which they returned to dozens of times over the following decade. They married that year.**

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"He got a ton of mail," Hovis said of Welk during a September 2024 with WTVA, a news station based in his hometown. "He’d never had a husband/wife team on his show. So after, he tried to have me back one more time, just to make sure the mail wasn't a fluke. He got the same amount of mail, so he asked me to join the show with [English], sing with her."

Ralna English/Facebook

Hovis and English continued to perform together even after ending their marriage in 1984.**

Hovis later returned to Mississippi to work in politics, for his longtime friend Trent Lott, and he performed at the 2005 inauguration of President George W. Bush at the start of his second term in office.

The late musician's family includes Sarah "Sis" Lundy, whom he married in 2002, as well as three children and five grandchildren.**

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