Lulu Adams was one of the first female clowns on Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. She is seen pictured here with her husband Albert, who she performed with both in Europe and in the late 1930s in the United States on Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey.

After spending the war years in their native England, the couple was hired by John Ringling North to appear in the 1948 edition of The Greatest Show on Earth. On the night before the show was to open at Madison Square Garden the couple went to Rockefeller Center where they were to be guests on Joe Hasel’s radio show on WJZ.

According to news reports this is what happened next: “So you are the famous clowns from the English music halls,“ Hasel said. Lulu Adams replied: “Well some people think we are famous. I think Albertino is the funniest man in the world.“

Albertino turned to the microphone, clutched his chest, and tried to smile. He then crumpled to the floor.  Everyone in the studio thought that he was putting on an act but when he failed to get up, Hasel signaled the engineer to play music.
A doctor was summoned to the studio and Lulu’s husband, Albertino Adams was pronounced dead.

Although Lulu was grief stricken, she followed the old tradition of “the show must go on“. Less than an hour after watching her husband and partner die, Lulu Adams appeared in the dress rehearsal of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The next night she appeared in the premiere of the 1948 edition and continued with the show for the remainder of the tour.
-C. Berry