Cooter Is Gone: Ben Jones Died at 84 — Dukes of Hazzard Now 😢

The faces you grew up with — where they are now. The Dukes of Hazzard roared onto CBS in January 1979, created by Gy Waldron out of his own 1975 film Moonrunners, and for a few years it was the second most watched programme in America, drawing close to forty million people every Friday night. Two cousins on probation, an uncle with a past, a crooked county boss and an orange 1969 Dodge Charger — that was the whole of it, and America could not get enough. Seen from September 2026, forty-seven years on, this is where that cast stands today. John Schneider talked his way into Bo Duke at eighteen with a borrowed pickup and a fake accent, then put four singles at number one on the country charts and co-founded the Children's Miracle Network in 1982. A later generation knows him as Jonathan Kent in Smallville. He is now 66 in September 2026. Tom Wopat played Luke Duke and grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, fifth of eight children. After Hazzard he went to Broadway and stayed, earning two Tony nominations. He is now 74 in September 2026 and turns 75 this month. Catherine Bach made the shorts herself. The producers had planned a turtleneck and a poodle skirt for Daisy Duke; she brought her own cut-offs instead, and gave the English language the phrase Daisy Dukes. She later spent seven years on The Young and the Restless and is now 71 in September 2026. Sonny Shroyer, the sweet-natured Deputy Enos, is the oldest survivor and the only principal who genuinely came from Georgia. He is also the coach who recruits Forrest in Forrest Gump. Now 91 in September 2026, he still turns up at fan events. Those we have lost: Sorrell Booke, the Columbia and Yale linguist who hid all of it behind Boss Hogg's cigar, died in 1994 aged 64. Denver Pyle, Uncle Jesse, got his Hollywood Walk of Fame star and died thirteen days later on Christmas Day 1997, aged 77. Waylon Jennings, the Balladeer whose drawl opened every episode, died in 2002 aged 64. James Best, who built Rosco's giggle out of a noise he made playing with his children, died in 2015 aged 88. Rick Hurst, Deputy Cletus and father of Ryan Hurst, died in June 2025 aged 79. And Ben Jones — Cooter, the mechanic in the greasy cap, and the only man ever to go from a Hazzard County garage to two full terms in the United States Congress — died at his home in Virginia on 9 August 2026, aged 84. Tell us in the comments: were you a Bo household or a Luke household, and who did you want behind the wheel? If these cast stories mean something to you, subscribe and stay with the channel. Disclaimer: Ages, dates and figures were checked against publicly available sources as of September 2026; money amounts are estimates unless stated. This video uses an AI-assisted voiceover. This channel is a nostalgic tribute made with love and respect for the cast and their families.