Actor Richard Hurst, best known for playing the role of Deputy Cletus Hogg on the hit television classic “The Dukes of Hazzard,” passed away unexpectedly on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 79 years old.
News of Hurst’s death was announced on the Cooter’s Pigeon Forge Facebook page, which is dedicated to a “Dukes of Hazzard” museum owned by Ben Jones, another star of the hit series, who played the part of Cooter Davenport in over 140 episodes of the show.
A report from The New York Post stated that Hurst was supposed to attend a meet-and-greet at Cooter’s Place, located just outside Knoxville, Tennessee, on July 3rd. The appearance was postponed to Thursday morning. According to the museum page, the reason for the delay was due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
“I have known Rick for over 45 years and there wasn’t a minute of that time that he didn’t leave me smiling or laughing,” Jones said in a post Thursday night. “Sure he was a professional comedian, but mostly he just had a heart as big as Texas. He was a fine actor, a splendid comic, and a wonderfully supportive colleague.”
The pair worked together on the Emmy-nominated series