Guy Lombardo
On November 5, 1977, Lombardo suffered a fatal heart attack. Another source says he died "of a lung ailment." His wife was at his bedside when he died in Houston Methodist Hospital.
Lou Jacobs
Bill Ballantine described Jacobs as an “unselfish and a natural-born teacher.” He was known for his patience and brought out the best in his pupils. They called him “Papa Lou.” His method of instruction was to teach the beginner material that had already been written, after the student acquired a feel for the art, he could start writing his own material. Jacobs had an inexhaustible supply of clown sketches for his students. He wrote down every clown sketch he had seen, heard of, or thought of and kept them all in a little black book. There were well over fifty years of material in it.
In 1988, after 64 years, Lou Jacobs finally retired from the Circus, but continued teaching at the Clown College. On April 23, 1989, he was one of the first six clowns to be inducted into the recently formed Clown Hall of Fame in Delavan, Wisconsin. His fellow inductees were: Felix Adler, Otto Griebling, Emmett Kelly, Mark Anthony, and Red Skelton. On September 13, 1992, Lou Jacobs died at age 89. He died peacefully in his sleep in Sarasota, Florida. Funeral services were held four days later at Sarasota’a First United Methodist Church. The church was packed with circus people from all over the country. Everyone from riggers to ringmasters came to pay their respects to the Master Clown.