Ben Jones, who played Cooter on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ dies at 84

Digital Curator

Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard” television show and went on to serve four years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a congressman from Georgia, has died at age 84.

Jones’ wife, Alma Viator, confirmed Jones’ death in a social media post on Sunday evening, saying that he died from a “massive heart attack” while at home waiting to watch a baseball game on TV.

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“Ben had the most amazing rich full life. He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I loved him so so much,” Viator, in part, said in the post.

Among his other roles, Jones was known for playing Cooter, a mechanic on “The Dukes of Hazard” who had a CB handle of “Crazy Cooter.” The show ran from 1979 to 1985.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” paid tribute to Jones, saying “‘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,” Wopat wrote.

As a congressman, he represented Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District, which is outside of Atlanta, as a Democrat. He served two terms, from 1989 to 1993. He lost his seat to redistricting and then was beaten in a race against Newt Gingrich.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.