David Akeman, known better on "Hee Haw" and elsewhere as Stringbean, was one of the most popular stars of that show's early years and of bluegrass country music, before being killed in a robbery in 1973.

Sadly, it was partly Stringbean's rural, simple nature -- a factor that made him so popular in the tradition-steeped country music world -- that led to his end.

The cabin where he lived was isolated, and rumors had long circulated that he distrusted banks, preferring to keep his money in cash, stashed in his house and in his pockets. All this made him seem like an easy mark for cousins Doug and John Brown.

Having ransacked Stringbean's cabin near Ridgetop, Tenn., and not found his fabled stash, the Browns waited for Stringbean and his wife, Estelle, to return from an evening out before murdering them.

In the end, the Browns got away with only Stringbean's chainsaw and a few firearms. They were arrested not long after. A roll of molding bills totaling $20,000 was supposedly found in the cabin decades later, though that could be just another rumor (it's the kind of story that encourages them).

Stringbean had pretaped a number of episodes of "Hee Haw," and though he died in November 1973, his final appearance was on March 23, 1974.

His longtime musical partner and fellow banjo great Grandpa Jones remained with the show until its final season in 1992.

As well as being a collaborator and friend, Jones was also Stringbean's neighbor, and tragically was the one to discover his body.

Music writer Peter Cooper said the murders of Stringbean and Estelle "marked the end of country music's innocent era."

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