Overview
- Jones’ wife, Alma Viator, announced on Facebook that he died of a “massive heart attack” at home while waiting to watch a baseball game, a statement first reported Sunday, August 9, 2026.
- He was best known for playing mechanic Cooter Davenport on all seven seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard, with coverage noting a small discrepancy in episode counts reported as either 141 or 142.
- Jones left acting for politics and won a U.S. House seat in 1988, was re-elected in 1990 and served two terms before later losing races after redistricting to figures including Newt Gingrich and Eric Cantor.
- After the show he kept a public profile through Cooter’s Garage Band, Dukes-themed museums and annual events such as Dukesfest that maintained ties with fans and car-show communities.
- Reports note later controversies over his defense of the Confederate battle flag, immediate social-media tributes from co-stars such as Tom Wopat, and that formal memorial plans have not yet been announced.