The Dukes of Hazzard Star Ben Jones Dies at 84 After Heart Attack, Wife Confirms
Ben Jones, best known for playing Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard and for his career in U.S. politics, has d!ed at 84.
Jones passed away at his home in Washington, Virginia, on Sunday, Aug. 9, after a heart attack, according to his wife, Alma Viator.
Viator announced the news on Facebook alongside a photograph of Jones.
“I lost the love of my life today. Ben passed from a massive heart attack,” she wrote. “He was home resting in his favorite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees.”
“Ben had the most amazing, rich, full life,” Viator added. “He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I loved him so so much.”
Jones became widely known for playing mechanic Cooter Davenport on CBS’s The Dukes of Hazzard. He appeared throughout the show’s original seven-season run from 1979 to 1985 and later reprised the character in the 1997 reunion movie and Hazzard in Hollywood in 2000.
The role made Cooter one of the show's recognizable characters, with Jones explaining in a 2008 interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting why audiences could relate to him.
“He had the only garage and the only tow truck in a place where all they did was wreck cars, so every time you saw him, he was working, and people can relate to that,” Jones said.
Jones starred alongside Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Denver Pyle, Sorrell Booke and Waylon Jennings.
Before and alongside his acting career, Jones was also involved in politics and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Wopat paid tribute to his former co-star on Sunday by sharing a photograph of the two together on Instagram.
According to The New York Times, Jones had struggled with alcoholism and had been arrested several times before landing his role on The Dukes of Hazzard. He was also married and divorced three times.
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