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.
The Erinsborough Tornado
It was later announced that long standing character Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), would be placed in a life-threatening situation when the tornado causes the roof of Harold's Store to collapse on him, while a piece of food becomes lodged in his throat. Fellow long standing character Susan Kennedy (Woodburne) was trapped with him and when she could not lift the beam to help, she called her husband, Karl (Alan Fletcher). Woodburne explained "Karl tells Susan she's done everything she can. He wants her to focus on keeping Lou as calm and comfortable as possible. He can't breathe, so that's all she can do." However, Susan cannot stand back and watch Lou die, so she performed an emergency tracheotomy with guidance from Karl over the phone.