Overview
- Jones died of a massive heart attack at home while waiting to watch the Atlanta Braves, his wife Alma Viator wrote on Facebook on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.
- He rose to national fame as Cooter Davenport and appeared across all seven seasons of CBS’s The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985.
- After leaving the show Jones won election to represent Georgia’s 4th Congressional District and served two terms in the U.S. House from 1989 to 1993.
- In later years he ran Dukes‑related businesses and events, including Cooter’s themed museums, Cooter’s Garage Band and annual fan gatherings that kept the show’s community active.
- Cast members and fans posted immediate tributes on social media and news outlets say formal funeral or memorial plans have not yet been announced.