‘Dukes of Hazzard’ star Rick Hurst passes away at 79

The Dukes of Hazzard fans are mourning the sudden death of another favorite actor. Rick Hurst, the lovable Deputy Cletus Hogg of the popular show has passed away at the age of 79.

The sad news was confirmed by Rick wife, Candace Kaniecki, who told TMZ that Hurst died suddenly on Thursday. He died only a week before he was to be a guest at a fan event at Cooter s Place, the Dukes of Hazzard-themed museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The museum had earlier announced that the event was postponed because of unforeseen circumstances but that post has been removed. The Nashville-based branch of Cooter Place later in the day posted a moving tribute to Hurst.

His wife said that the cause of death of Rick is not known.

Rick Hurst was born on the 1 st of January 1946 in Houston, Texas. He was a passionate student and earned a bachelor degree in Tulane University in 1968. In 1970, only two years later, he proceeded to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree at Temple University.

He was recruited into The Dukes of Hazzard in its initial stages in 1979 and was an instant hit with the fans. Deputy Cletus Hogg, a cousin to the incompetent villain Boss Hogg, he added heart and humor to the small-town antics of Hazzard County.

Although he started as a recurring character, he was made a lead character in Season 3 when fellow deputy Sonny Shroyer (Enos Strate) departed to star in his own spin-off, Enos. By the time Shroyer came back in 1982, Hurst was relegated to guest roles, and left the series before the last two seasons.

The friendship between the stars of the show was unbreakable despite the twists and turns of the casting.

In a 2014 interview, co-star John Schneider said, We are still a family, after all these years, which is very unusual. Shows tend to stop when they are done. The Dukes of Hazzard is not over with the fans, it is not over with the cast and it is not over with the crew and I am very proud to be a part of that.”

That strong bond made the death of Hurst even more heartbreaking to the people who worked with him and the millions of fans who continue to love the show.

Cletus, played by Hurst, began as a simple henchman to Boss Hogg in Season 1, but was deputized in Season 2 and became a part of Dukes history. He would later rejoin his TV movie co-stars in The Dukes of Hazzard:

Reunion! (1997) and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000), which proved that the fans never forgot the show, nor its characters.

Hurst warmed and wittily filled many television roles during his long career. He made a niche in TV history, starting with small roles on Happy Days, Little House on the Prairie, and Sanford and Son, and moving to larger roles in MASH and The Blue Knight.

He also played the incompetent chef Earl Nash in Amanda, the short-lived comeback of Bea Arthur to sitcoms prior to The Golden Girls.

Hurst was equally impressive in the big screen. He was featured in such movies as Executive Action (1973), The Cat From Outer Space (1978), The Karate Kid trilogy, Steel Magnolias (1989), and In The Line Of Fire (1993).

The Dukes of Hazzard was back in the news in recent months when co-star John Schneider criticized Warner Bros. and so-called woke critics of canceling the show on network schedules and discontinuing toy production of its famous car, The General Lee, because of its Confederate imagery.

However, to the fans, The Dukes of Hazzard was never about politics, it was about fun, pranks, and a strong family feeling.

The series had an element of timelessness. Its no-nonsense attitude, little swearing, and unadulterated fun made it a show that millions of people had to watch.

And now, another of that close-knit Hazzard family is dead.

Hurst leaves behind his wife Candace and their son, Ryan Hurst, an actor who has made a name of his own, having starred in Remember the Titans as Gerry and Opie Winston in Sons of Anarchy. Ryan was also a key cast in Bates Motel, Bosch, and The Walking Dead.

With the Dukes family losing another member, this time the late Rick Hurst (Deputy Cletus Hogg), joining the late Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg), Denver Pyle (Uncle Jesse), Waylon Jennings (The Balladeer),

and James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane), fans everywhere are not only remembering Rick Hurst because of the laughs he gave them but because he was a part of something that has lasted generations.