Who was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon?

Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (from 1940 to 1991) and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.

A straw hat adorned with a band of artificial flowers and a dangling price tag was an essential component of her stage persona.

Cannon portrayed Minnie Pearl for many years on television, first on ABC's Ozark Jubilee in the late 1950s; then on the long-running television series Hee Haw, both on CBS and the subsequent syndicated version. She made several appearances on NBC's The Ford Show, starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. She also appeared as a celebrity panelist on game shows such as Match Game in 1976 and Hollywood Squares in 1980. Her last regular performances on national television were on Ralph Emery's Nashville Now country-music talk show on the former The Nashville Network (TNN) cable channel. With Emery, she performed in a weekly feature, "Let Minnie Steal Your Joke", in the Minnie Pearl character and read jokes submitted by viewers, with prizes for the best jokes.