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Gary Owens, 'Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In' Announcer, Dies

Gary Owens performs in a skit at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2008. Owens, best known for announcing "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," died on Thursday.
Mark J. Terrill AP
Gary Owens performs in a skit at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2008. Owens, best known for announcing "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," died on Thursday.

Gary Owens, the voice-over star known as the announcer on Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In, died on Thursday at his home in the Los Angeles area.

NPR member station KPCC reports that Owens parlayed his role on Laugh-In into a long career of voice-over work. KPCC adds:

"Owens hosted thousands of radio programs over his seven-decade career. He appeared in more than a dozen movies and on scores of TV shows, including Lucille Ball and Bob Hope specials. He also voiced hundreds of animated characters, recorded a comedy album and wrote two books."

Variety reports that Owens lent his voice to 3,000 cartoons, including Space Ghost, "Blue Falcon, Roger Ramjet, Powdered Toast Man and even Batman."

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Owens was 80-years-old.

We'll leave you with video of Owens' trademark one-hand-over ear delivery on Laugh-In:

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