Dukes Of Hazzard Star Ben Jones Dead At 84

Ben Jones, the actor turned politician best known for playing the beloved, impish mechanic Cooter Davenport across seven seasons of CBS action series The Dukes of Hazzard, died on Sunday from a heart attack, according to his wife Alma Viator. He was 84.

Viator shared the news of her husband’s death in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon. With a photo of Jones holding his dog, she wrote, “I lost the love of my life today. Ben passed from a massive heart attack. 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. He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I loved him so much.” Jones was married to Alma Viator from 1992 until his passing.

The Dukes of Hazzard was incredibly popular. It was No. 2 in the Nielsen ratings in 1979-80, trailing only Dallas, which followed it on Friday nights on CBS.

Co-star Tom Wopat paid tribute to Jones on social media. He wrote in an Instagram post, “’The Dukes of Hazzard’ lost another integral part of their cast today. Ben Jones was a fine friend and a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business. He will be sorely missed… Denver Pyle frequently said to Ben, ‘I’m not your Uncle Jesse!’ But I feel like we lost a Duke cousin today.”

Ben Jones' Career Milestones

Jones also starred in Together for Days (1972), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) and They Went That-a-Way & That-a-Way (1978) before making a splashy impression on The Dukes of Hazzard. In 1988, he ran for Congress in Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District, and won. He was reelected in 1990, but lost his next race four years later against Newt Gingrich.

In 2005, The Dukes of Hazzard was rebooted into an action comedy film starring Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott.