Canadian comic and entertainer Gordie Tapp, best known as the country bumpkin Cousin Clem on Hee Haw, passed away at the age of 94 in Burlington after a long illness..  He was born in 1922 in London, Ontario, and got his start in TV during the 1950s. He conceived the hayseed Cousin Clem character while hosting Country Hoedown between 1956 and 1965. Success with the Canadian network for 13 years encouraged Gordie to take his Cousin Clem character to Nashville, where he eventually went on to star in 90 of the 306 episodes on Hee Haw, between 1969 and 1988. He also received the Order of Canada in 1998 and the Order of Ontario in 1999, and became a member of Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. He is survived by Helen, his wife of 73 years, and two daughters and a son. RIP Gordie.