TV Star and Former Congressman Dies After ‘Massive’ Heart Attack

“Dukes of Hazzard” star Ben Jones, who became a TV favorite before making the unlikely leap from Hollywood to Congress, has died at 84.

Jones, best known to millions of fans as the scruffy, wisecracking mechanic “Crazy” Cooter Davenport, died after suffering a “massive heart attack,” according to his longtime wife, Alma Viator.

Viator announced the heartbreaking news in a Facebook post Sunday, Aug. 9, revealing Jones was at home in his favorite chair when he died.

“I lost the love of my life today,” she wrote.

According to Viator, Jones had been resting and waiting to watch the Atlanta Braves take on the New York Yankees.

“He was home resting in his favorite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees,” she wrote. “Ben had the most amazing rich life.”

Jones became a household name thanks to “The Dukes of Hazzard,” playing Cooter Davenport in nearly every episode of the hugely popular CBS series during its run from 1979 to 1985.

Cooter was the grease-covered mechanic and friend of cousins Bo and Luke Duke, often helping the pair — and their famous orange Dodge Charger, the General Lee — get out of trouble.

Jones later returned to the role for the 1997 reunion movie “The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!” and again for 2000’s “The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood.”

When the franchise was rebooted for the big screen in 2005, David Koechner took over the Cooter role. Joel Moore later played a younger version of the character in the 2007 direct-to-video prequel “The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning.”

Jones’ own road to television fame was anything but glamorous.

He grew up in a railroad shack near Portsmouth, Virginia, before beginning his acting career in his mid-20s.

His early screen credits included an uncredited appearance in “Killer’s Three” and a role in “Together for Days.”

More work soon followed, including an uncredited appearance in the Burt Reynolds smash “Smokey and the Bandit.”

Jones also appeared in “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings,” the sports comedy starring Richard Pryor and Billy Dee Williams.

Another important role came in the action-comedy “Moonrunners,” a movie that helped pave the way for what would eventually become “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

But Jones’ life took another dramatic turn after his years in Hazzard County.

The actor entered politics and was elected to Congress as a Democrat from Georgia, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 until 1993.

In 1994, Jones challenged Newt Gingrich but lost the race.

Jones later filed an ethics complaint against Gingrich involving allegations of financial impropriety. Gingrich eventually resigned as House speaker years later, while an IRS investigation ultimately cleared him of tax wrongdoing related to the matters examined.

Jones never completely left Hollywood behind.

He landed a small role in the acclaimed 1998 political drama “Primary Colors,” which starred John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates and went on to receive two Academy Award nominations.

But even decades after “The Dukes of Hazzard” went off the air, Jones remained deeply connected to the show that made him famous.

Jones and Viator opened “Cooter’s Place,” a “Dukes of Hazzard”-themed museum and tourist attraction celebrating the beloved series.

The business eventually expanded to locations in Nashville and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as well as Luray, Virginia, becoming a destination for longtime fans eager to relive the glory days of Hazzard County.

Away from the spotlight, Jones and Viator shared a log cabin and farm in Rappahannock County, Virginia.

They also shared two children.

Viator said her husband had touched countless lives during his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to television fame, Capitol Hill and beyond.

“He loved and was loved by so many,” she wrote. “He will be missed.”

She ended her emotional tribute with a simple message about the man she had shared her life with.

“I loved him so so much.”