Ben Jones, Dukes of Hazzard star and former congressman, dies at 84

Ben Jones, Dukes of Hazzard star and former congressman, dies at 84

Ben Jones, the actor who portrayed the mechanic Cooter Davenport on the hit CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard, has died at the age of 84. His wife, Alma Viator, announced on Facebook that Jones passed away at home on Sunday, August 9, following a massive heart attack while he was preparing to watch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees.

Jones was a mainstay of the action-comedy series from January 1979 to February 1985, appearing in 141 episodes across all seven seasons. As Cooter, the owner of the garage in Hazzard County Square, Jones became a face of the show's early success, which reached No. 2 in the Nielsen ratings during the 1979-80 season. He often used the CB handle Crazy Cooter, frequently opening conversations with the phrase, Breaker one, breaker one, I might be crazy, but I ain't dumb.

His journey to Hazzard County began with the 1975 film Moonrunners, where he played a federal agent. When the movie was reconceived as a television series, Jones returned to join co-stars Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Sorrell Booke, and Sonny Shroyer.

Former co-star Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke, shared a tribute on Instagram alongside a photo of the two performing on stage. Wopat described Jones as a fine friend and a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business and noted that while Denver Pyle frequently told Jones, I’m not your Uncle Jesse!, he felt they had lost a Duke cousin today.

Beyond the screen, Jones transitioned into a career in politics. A Democrat, he first ran for Congress in 1986 but lost to incumbent Pat Swindall. In 1988, Jones won a landslide victory for the seat in Georgia's 4th congressional district after Swindall was accused of lying to a federal grand jury regarding dealings with an undercover agent. Jones served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 1993.

During his political campaigns, Jones was open about his past, admitting he had more skeletons in my closet than the Smithsonian, including a struggle with alcohol. He stated he had not had a drink since September 1977. In a 1989 interview, he noted that his acting skills were invaluable in politics because they helped him with communication and being comfortable in front of an audience.

Jones' political career continued to intersect with his public image. After losing his seat to Newt Gingrich in 1994, Jones filed an ethics complaint against Gingrich that contributed to the Speaker's 1998 resignation. In 2002, while living in Virginia, Jones ran for Congress again but lost to Eric Cantor. Later, in 2014, a letter Jones wrote to voters was cited by pundits as a factor in Cantor's primary loss.

This blend of acting and governance even mirrored his fictional character; in the 1997 telefilm The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, it was revealed that Cooter had become a congressman.

Born Ben Lewis Jones on Aug. 30, 1941, in Tarboro, North Carolina, he grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. He described his early life in his 2008 memoir, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, noting his family lived in a railroad section house that lacked electricity and indoor plumbing for years. He attended East Carolina College and the University of North Carolina, where he studied radio, television, and motion pictures.

Throughout his life, Jones remained deeply connected to his fan base. He operated Cooter’s Place, a themed museum and store with locations in Nashville, Pigeon Forge, and Luray, Virginia. In Luray, where he lived with his wife, he frequently greeted fans and performed with Cooter’s Garage Band. He also founded Hazzard Homecoming and Dukesfest.

Reflecting on the show's legacy during a 2015 interview on Issues and Answers, Jones said, our show made people happy and it didn’t matter what color they were or where they were from or what their politics were, it made people happy.

Jones is survived by his wife, Alma Viator, whom he married in 1992, and his children, Rachel and Walker.

A reunion event for the cast remains planned for Luray, which will include Sonny Enos Shroyer, who is set to turn 91 on August 28.