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Hollywood & Entertainment Ben Jones, Cooter On ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ And Former U.S. Rep, Dies At 84 By Tim Lammers ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover Hollywood and entertainment. Follow Author Aug 09, 2026, 09:16pm EDT Aug 09, 2026, 11:21pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Ben Jones, beloved for his role as Cooter Davenport on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and a former U.S. Representative, passed away Sunday at 84 from a massive heart attack. His wife, Alma Viator, announced his death, noting he was home awaiting a Braves game. Jones played Cooter for seven seasons (1979-1985) and later served two terms in Congress representing Georgia's 4th District as a Democrat from 1989 to 1993. He had a diverse career, appearing in over 30 screen roles, including "Moonrunners" and "Primary Colors," and voiced Cooter in "Dukes of Hazzard" video games. Fellow "Dukes" star Tom Wopat paid tribute, calling him a "fine friend." Jones also published a memoir, "Redneck Boy in the Promised Land."
Ben Jones, who starred as Cooter Davenport on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard and later served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Georgia, died Sunday.
Jones’ death was announced by his wife, Alma Viator, on Sunday. He was 84.
“I lost the love of my life today. Ben passed from a massive heart attack,” Viator wrote in a Facebook post . "He was home resting in his favorite 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 loved him so so much."
On The Dukes of Hazzard , Cooter (Jones) was the cousin of Bo (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat). Jones played Cooter over the show’s seven seasons from 1979 to 1985.
“ The Dukes of Hazzard lost another integral part of their cast today,” Wopat wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “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.”
Four years after the series, Jones was elected to U.S. Congress as a Democrat and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s 4th District from 1989 to 1993. In addition to being a Democratic whip while serving in Congress , Jones was a member of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
After losing his seat to redistricting, Jones fell short in his bid for a third term in Congress against Republican Newt Gingrich. Seven years after the defeat, Jones, who had relocated to Virginia, ran but lost in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Eric Cantor for a seat to serve the 7th District of the state.
Born Benjamin Lewis Jones on Aug. 30, 1941, in Tarboro, N.C., Jones’ first credited screen role was in the Clifton Davis and Lois Chiles drama Together for Days in 1972.
A small role in the 1975 action comedy Moonrunners , from writer-director Guy Waldron, eventually led to Jones’ audition for The Dukes of Hazzard , which was created by the filmmaker. According to TMZ , Moonrunners served as the basis for The Dukes of Hazzard , which became a ratings hit for CBS.
Jones first ran for Congress in 1986, but he lost his bid for a U.S. Congressional seat to Republican Rep. Pat Swindell. In 1997, Jones appeared in the CBS special The Dukes of Hazzard: A Reunion! and went on to play a supporting role as Arlen Sporken in Mike Nicholson’s political comedy drama, Primary Colors , in 1998.
A year later, Jones defeated Swindell to serve in the first of his two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jones’ film credits included They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way , The Lincoln Conspiracy , Deep in My Heart , Dakota and Smokey and the Bandit , in which he appeared in an uncredited role.
On television, Jones appeared in the TV movie The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance, and made guest turns in the series Dallas , Benji , Zax & the Alien Prince , Sliders and As the World Turns .
In 2000, Jones reprised Cooter Davenport in the TV movie The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood . He also voiced Cooter in two video games based on The Dukes of Hazzard .
In 2007, Jones published his memoir , Redneck Boy in the Promised Land: The Confessions of “Crazy Cooter."
Jones courted controversy in 2015 when, per E! Entertainment , he defended the Confederate flag after it was pulled from North Carolina Capitol grounds, stores and Dukes of Hazzard merchandise following the Charleston church shooting .
Vowing to keep the flag in his Cooter’s Place locations, a pair of Dukes of Hazzard museums and shops, Jones wrote in a statement (via E!), “That flag on top of the General Lee made a statement that the values of the rural south were the values of courage and family and good times."
Later in the statement, Jones added, "When we say our flag stands for 'heritage, not hate’ and 'pride, not prejudice', we mean it. And we believe that old saying, 'you can't know where you are going if you forget where you came from.”
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