Ben Jones, the actor beloved by generations of TV fans as mechanic Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” has died at 84.
Jones died Sunday, Aug. 9, at his home in Washington, Virginia, after suffering what his wife, Alma Viator, described as a “massive heart attack.” Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton also confirmed his death.
According to Viator, Jones spent his final moments exactly where he wanted to be — at home in his favorite chair, waiting to watch his beloved Atlanta Braves take on the New York Yankees.
“I lost the love of my life today,” Viator wrote on Facebook while announcing his death.
She said Jones had lived an “amazing, rich, full life” and was loved by countless people.
Jones became a household name playing Cooter Davenport, the lovable, rough-around-the-edges mechanic who regularly helped Bo and Luke Duke get out of trouble in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia.
“The Dukes of Hazzard” ran on CBS for seven seasons from 1979 until 1985 and became one of the era’s most recognizable television shows, thanks to its wild car chases, over-the-top stunts, Southern humor and the orange 1969 Dodge Charger known as the General Lee.
Jones appeared throughout the show’s seven-season run alongside Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Denver Pyle, Sorrell Booke and narrator Waylon Jennings. He later returned as Cooter for the 1997 reunion movie and again in the 2000 TV movie “The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood.”
Cooter started out as something of a wild man who enjoyed taunting authorities, but the character eventually became one of the Duke family’s most dependable allies.
He ran Cooter’s Garage, owned the town’s tow truck and was often heard talking over his CB radio.
Jones once joked that Cooter had a pretty secure job because he operated the only garage and tow truck in a place where people seemed to wreck cars constantly.
Jones was born in Tarboro, North Carolina, on Aug. 30, 1941. His father worked for the railroad, and the family later moved to Virginia, where Jones grew up.
He briefly followed his father into railroad work during summer breaks but eventually discovered acting and became particularly interested in the stage.
During college, Jones also became involved in the civil rights movement, an experience he later discussed in his memoir, “Redneck Boy in the Promised Land: The Confessions of ‘Crazy Cooter.’”
Before becoming famous on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” Jones spent years acting in theater and picking up smaller television and movie roles.
He appeared in the 1972 film “Together for Days,” which also marked Samuel L. Jackson’s film debut, and later had an uncredited role as a trucker in the 1977 blockbuster “Smokey and the Bandit.”
But behind the scenes, Jones struggled with alcohol.
He later credited landing “The Dukes of Hazzard” with helping turn his life around after years of heavy drinking, arrests and failed marriages.
Jones once compared the sudden fame surrounding the series to being in a Beatles movie, saying the show completely changed the lives of its cast members.
When “The Dukes of Hazzard” ended, Jones made an unusual career move — from Hollywood to Washington.
He first ran for Congress in Georgia after the show ended but lost to Republican incumbent Pat Swindall.
Jones tried again in 1988 and won, becoming a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from a district near Atlanta. He was reelected in 1990 and ultimately served two terms.
During his time in Congress, Jones served as a Democratic whip and sat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs as well as the Committee on Public Works and Transportation.
Politically, Jones was difficult to put into one box. He was known for sometimes breaking with his own party, combining more liberal positions on social issues with conservative views on economic matters.
Redistricting contributed to Jones losing his congressional seat in 1992, but he returned to the campaign trail two years later.
In 1994, he challenged powerful Republican Newt Gingrich and lost.
The race nevertheless had lasting consequences. Jones later filed an ethics complaint accusing Gingrich of improperly using tax-deductible donations in connection with a partisan college course. The controversy eventually contributed to a formal House reprimand of Gingrich.
Even after leaving both Hollywood and Congress behind, Jones never tried to distance himself from the role that made him famous.
Instead, he embraced Cooter and the enormous fan base surrounding “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Jones and his wife opened Cooter’s Place attractions celebrating the series, eventually operating locations in Virginia and Tennessee. The stores and museums featured show memorabilia, merchandise and even vehicles connected to the series.
He also helped launch DukesFest, a fan gathering built around the show that featured music, food, car events and appearances connected to the series.
Jones remained fiercely protective of “The Dukes of Hazzard” and its legacy.
He argued that underneath the car jumps and comedy, the show was fundamentally about ordinary people standing up to corrupt authority and trying to do the right thing.
Jones once said the series reflected the values of America’s heartland because, in the end, “the good guys always win.”
Following news of his death, fellow “Dukes of Hazzard” star Tom Wopat paid tribute to his longtime friend and castmate.
Wopat said Jones had been an important part of the show’s family and praised him as both a close friend and a passionate advocate for the entertainment business.
Referring to the late Denver Pyle, who played Uncle Jesse on the series, Wopat added that although Pyle would jokingly remind Jones that he wasn’t actually his uncle, it now felt as though the “Dukes” family had lost one of its cousins.
In his later years, Jones also worked as a political commentator and wrote opinion pieces for publications including The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Reflecting on the dramatic twists his life had taken — from alcoholism and acting to television fame, Congress and life as a fan-favorite cultural figure — Jones once said the biggest lesson he had learned was to get outside himself and put his life in the hands of a higher power.
Jones is survived by his wife, Alma, and his children.
For millions of fans, however, he will always be Crazy Cooter — the mechanic with the tow truck, the CB radio and an uncanny ability to keep the Duke boys on the road.