Death at home in Virginia

Ben Jones, the American actor and former politician, died on Sunday 9 August 2026 at the age of 84. His wife of more than 30 years, Alma Viator, announced the death in a Facebook post, writing that Jones suffered a massive heart attack while resting in his favourite chair at home, waiting to watch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees. He died in Page County, Virginia. He would have turned 85 later in August, having been born on 30 August 1941 in Tarboro, North Carolina.

“I lost the love of my life today. He was home resting in his favourite 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 love him so so much.”

Cooter Davenport and The Dukes of Hazzard

Jones was best known for playing the bearded mechanic Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard, the CBS action-comedy that ran for seven seasons from 1979 to 1985. He appeared in 141 episodes, sharing the screen with John Schneider as Bo Duke, Tom Wopat as Luke Duke, and Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke. The series, created by Gy Waldron, followed the Duke cousins' adventures in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia, as they evaded the corrupt county commissioner Boss Hogg, played by Sorrell Booke, and the dim-witted sheriff Rosco. Cooter was the Duke family's loyal ally, constantly repairing the orange 1969 Dodge Charger known as the General Lee. The show's first three seasons ranked among the most-watched programmes in the United States at the time. In France, the series aired as "Sherif, fais-moi peur" from 18 September 1980 on Antenne 2, and in Italy it arrived in 1981 under the title "Hazzard".

From television to Congress

Before his acting breakthrough, Jones began his career in theatre in the early 1960s, touring in productions of Summer and Smoke and Desire Under the Elms. He took on small film roles, including the 1975 action comedy Moonrunners and the 1977 Burt Reynolds film Smokey and the Bandit. During the 1960s, he was active in the civil rights movement and was arrested during sit-in protests.

After The Dukes of Hazzard ended in 1985, Jones pivoted to politics. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1986 against the incumbent Republican Pat Swindall, then won a rematch in 1988 after Swindall was indicted for perjury. Jones won the 1988 race for Georgia's 4th congressional district by 20 points. He took office in 1989 as a Democrat and served as a Democratic whip, winning re-election in 1990. He lost his seat in 1993 after electoral district boundaries were redrawn. He ran again in 1994, losing to Newt Gingrich, and ran once more in 2002, again without success. Despite his Democratic affiliation, he broke with the party during the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. From 2014 to 2018, he was involved with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Tributes and legacy

Jones's Dukes of Hazzard co-star Tom Wopat paid tribute on Instagram, writing that the show had lost another integral member of its cast.

“Ben Jones was a fine friend and a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business. We will miss him so much. But today I feel like we lost a Duke cousin.”

After leaving Congress, Jones reprised the Cooter role in two Dukes of Hazzard TV reunion films in 1997 and 2000. He took on small roles in films including Primary Colors (1998), directed by Mike Nichols and starring John Travolta, and Meet Joe Black. He also appeared in Joe Gould's Secret (2000). Jones opened Dukes of Hazzard museums and themed stores near Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and in Tennessee, and released 13 albums as Cooter's Garage Band. He helped organise fan gatherings called Dukesfest and Hazzard Homecoming. In the 1997 TV reunion film, his character Cooter Davenport had become a member of Congress, a plotline that echoed Jones's own career.