RIP Ben Jones

[Meadowmufn]

Ben's wife Alma has announced that Ben passed away of a heart attack today. There was no greater advocate for the show than Ben. He kept the spirit alive all these years with fan events and Cooter's Place. This is devastating. Feel free to share any experiences meeting Ben, kind words, favorite Cooter moments on the show, etc.

[MonacoMan]

I heard about it a little while ago…unbelievably devastating! Ben was probably the biggest advocate for the show, Duke Fests, events, and keeping the DOH spirit alive. It will never be the same, and I worry how long it will continue, without Ben. 

[Melissa Wilson]

I grew up watching The Duke boys, and my son absolutely loved it to. We went and met him when he was in Virginia. He was so nice. Loved him on the show and he didn't disappoint in person. Great man.

[Melissa Wilson]

I grew up watching the Duke boys and my son absolutely loved it. He wore the cowboy boots and white sleeveless t-shirts. We got to meet him in I think 98, in Virginia. What a great man. 

[Steve Evans]

Mrs Alma your husband was the most amazing individual. I watched him as well as my son idolized him on the Dukes of Hazzard. I met your husband way back early on through my neighbor Mabel Jones Powell. I have one of his autographed pictures he sent me by mail. Autographed in blue sharpie  still hanging in my garage. My prayers are with you and yours and I would love to meet you one day to say thanks.

[HossC]

This sad news broke just after I'd gone to sleep last night, so I woke up to all these posts this morning. My condolences and best wishes to the family. I never got to meet Ben, but I got to know him a little through his autobiography. He had quite a life.

[Meadowmufn]

I posted an obituary here: https://www.hazzardnet.com/rip-ben-jones-1941-2026/

[RogerDuke]

I take deaths of the DOH stars very hard. 

I only met him once. That was on Oct 23, 1982. As I recall, that day was his first wife's 30th birthday. It was at a car show in Erie Pa. 

This is going to be a tough few days for me.....and millions of other fans. My condolences to all his fans here. 

[Delilah Church]

I never had the pleasure of meeting Ben. I did get to watch him as Crazy C or Cooter. Loved The Dukes Of Hazzard show very much. Still have my boxed collection and watch them daily. I pray that Alma and his kids have strength and comfort above from the Lord. He will be missed but never forgotten. Sending prayers to all and especially his many friends and fans.

[J Rapp]

Thank you so much to the Jones family for sharing Ben through the years and for his dedication to making this world a better place for all of us. I took my 82 year old father to Cooter’s Place, Pigeon Forge, this past fall and it gave us both such wonderful memories. My prayers are with Ben’s family as they mourn his loss. We KNOW that he’s seen the face of Jesus and is entertaining angels at this very moment. ❤️ 

Edited yesterday at 06:44 PM by J Rapp
Mistyped a word

[Brandy Mason]

I just wanted to send my condolences and my prayers to Alma. I grew up watching the dukes of hazzard. I always thought cooter was funny and loveable. And a duke at heart 

   Im so sorry alma for losing ben cooter Davenport. I hope alma keeps the dukes store up and running in memory of Ben cooter Davenport Jones. Rip Ben Jones  u will be forever missed by everyone the cast and fans of the dukes of hazzard 

[Biker Paul]

Thank you for this lovely obituary. I send my sincere condolences to Alma and all the family. 

I watch The Dukes of Hazzard on a regular basis (on DVD) and will always be a big fan of the show. Thank you Ben for all what you did on the show and afterwards keeping the show alive. Rest in peace Ben Jones. 🙏🏻 (from England) 

Edited 16 hours ago by Biker Paul
Addition

[Thames]

I met Ben Jones ( and the other DOH Stars) at the “Hazard County Fair “ in Macon Ga when I was 16 years old . The Macon Telegraph had and article about the event and many people had negative comments . I thought the event was great and enjoyed my time meeting several of the cast members. I wrote a review about the Event and how much I enjoyed it and apparently it found its way to Ben . He actually called me ( after he came to my small hometown of Henderson Ga and I was out of town) . He stopped at the only store in our Un-Incorporated town and spoke with several of the farmers ( one of whom gave him my phone # ) and community members who often stopped in the store to talk about the day and buy a soda or snack.  He left me several items including an autographed photo that I still have 44 years later . He impressed me so much as a teenager because he took time out of his busy life to find a 16 YO country girl in a small unknown town to just say thank you ! RIP Ben “Cooter”! 

Susan Thames Newton 

[RogerDuke]

It warms my heart to see all these tributes. Dukes fans are a big family with a common bond and it's nice to see us come together like this.