Rick Hurst, Cletus Hogg on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,' Dies at 79
Rick Hurst, who portrayed the friendly but bumbling deputy sheriff Cletus Hogg on the comedy series 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' died at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 79.
His death was confirmed by Alma Viator, the wife of his friend and former colleague Ben Jones, who played Cooter on 'The Dukes of Hazzard.'
Mr. Hurst had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet on July 3 at the Cooter's Place in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., a shop and museum dedicated to the TV show run by Ms. Viator and Mr. Jones, but Mr. Hurst had canceled because he was not feeling well.
Ms. Viator said in a phone interview on Friday that Mr. Hurst's death was 'shocking to all of us, even though we knew he wasn't feeling well.'
Mr. Hurst appeared as Cletus, the cousin of Boss Hogg, the commissioner of the fictional Hazzard County, in 55 episodes of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' from 1979 until 1982. The show ran for seven seasons on CBS.
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