Lois Laurel Hawes, the only surviving child of comedy legend Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame, has died at Holy Cross Hospital in Granada Hills following a lengthy 𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤, her family announced Saturday. She was 89.
Known to her family as “GG,” she was surrounded by relatives when she died at 11:42 p.m. Friday, according to a prepared statement. No cause of death was given.
Hawes, whose mother was Laurel’s second wife, Lois Neilson, dedicated considerable time to preserving the legacy of her father and his partner, Oliver Hardy, whom she called “Uncle Babe,” relatives said.
The popular duo appeared in more than 100 comedy shorts and feature films between 1921 and 1952. After Hardy 𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕕 in 1957, Laurel retired rather than continue acting. He 𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕕 in 1965.
While growing up, Hawes often visited them on film sets and made uncredited appearances in at least three of their productions. She later provided narration and interviews for several documentaries about the two.
Hawes shared her father’s interest in boating and fishing.With her first husband, actor Rand Brooks, she co-founded a private ambulance firm that operated in Glendale for more than two decades.
She was married to Rand Brooks, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s first husband in “Gone With The Wind,” until their divorce in 1976. She was married to her second husband, Tony Hawes, who also worked briefly as an actor, until his death in 1997. A son, Rand Brooks Jr. 𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕕 in 2016.
She is survived by a daughter, Laurel; five grandchildren and nine great- grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for December close to what would have been Hawes’ 90 birthday.
