Ben Jones, the actor and former Georgia congressman best known for playing mechanic Cooter Davenport on The Dukes of Hazzard, has died at 84 - leaving behind a story he himself once summed up in a single, striking line from his memoir: "I got sober the day before I died."
Jones' wife, Alma Viator, announced his passing Sunday in a Facebook post, saying he suffered a massive heart attack at their Virginia home while waiting to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Yankees. "He was home resting in his favorite chair," she wrote. "He had the most amazing, rich, full life. He loved and was loved by so many."
Long before Hollywood found him, Jones nearly lost everything to alcohol. He spoke openly for decades about hitting bottom in September 1977, calling a recovering-alcoholic friend for help after a weeks-long drinking spiral left him certain he was going to die. He got sober cold turkey that day and never drank again. About a year later, he auditioned for The Dukes of Hazzard.
Jones played Cooter across all seven seasons of the show, from 1979 to 1985, becoming an honorary member of the Duke family and one of its most beloved characters. He went on to serve two terms as a Democratic congressman representing Georgia's 4th District from 1989 to 1993. Reflecting years later on the moment he was sworn into office, Jones - a self-described Christian - said it overwhelmed him: "That's when it hit me, what a blessing I had been given, and I just started crying."
After politics, Jones returned to entertainment full-time, opening the Cooter's Place museums with Viator and continuing to tour and record music into his 80s.
He is survived by Viator and his family.
