Dukes Of Hazzard actor Rick Hurst is dead at 79: TV star passed away days before planned fan event
Rick Hurst, who was best known for starring on the original version of The Dukes Of Hazzard from in the late 1970s and early ’80s, has died at the age of 79.
Hurst’s wife, Candace Kaniecki, shared the news with TMZ on Thursday.
According to her, the television star died unexpectedly earlier on Thursday.
So far, no cause of death has been reported.
Hurst rose to fame on The Dukes Of Hazzard as Deputy Cletus Hogg, who was the cousin of the show’s villain, Boss Hogg.
His death comes months after one of the show’s leads, John Schneider, lashed out at ‘woke’ critics and Warner Bros. after the series was removed from many TV network schedules and production on toy production of the show’s iconic car The General Lee was halted due to criticism of the series’ abundant use of imagery and nostalgia for the slavery-defending Confederacy.
Rick Hurst, who was best known for starring on the original version of The Dukes Of Hazzard from in the late 1970s and early ’80s, has died at 79; Hurst (L) is pictured with fellow Dukes Of Hazzard stars (L–R) John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Ben Jones and Tom Wopat
Hurst rose to fame on The Dukes Of Hazzard as Deputy Cletus Hogg, who was the cousin of the show’s villain, Boss Hogg; pictured in 1999 for The Dukes Of Hazzard: Hazzard In Hollywood
His death comes months after star John Schneider lashed out at ‘woke’ critics and Warner Bros. after the series was taken off the air and production of toy versions of The General Lee were halted due to criticism of the series’ use of Confederate imagery and nostalgia; a version of the iconic Doge muscle car built by Schneider is pictured in 2015
Hurst’s died just one week before he was scheduled to make an appearance at a fan event at the Dukes Of Hazzard–themed museum and store Cooter’s Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on Thursday, July 3, according to the venue’s website.
But the museum posted a message to its Facebook page on Thursday morning indicating that the event would have to be rescheduled after Hurst wasn’t able to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, according to TMZ.
The post appears to have been taken down now, and the Nashville-based location of Cooter’s Place posted a brief tribute honoring Hurst.
Hurst was part of The Dukes Of Hazzard from its first season in early 1979, though he was only a recurring character for the first two seasons.
He played second fiddle to Sonny Shroyer’s deputy Enos Strate, who was downgraded to a recurring cast member in the third and fourth seasons when he left to launch his own short-lived spinoff Enos.
Shroyer only had occasional guest appearances in the third season and was completely absent from the fourth, so Hurst was bumped up to the main cast to replace him.
However, Shroyer rejoined the show as part of the main cast in 1982 for the fifth season, while Hurst was downgraded to a guest actor.
He didn’t appear in the final two Dukes Of Hazzard seasons, but he and Shroyer were both part of the main cast of the 1997 TV movie The Dukes Of Hazzard: Reunion! and its 2000 follow-up The Dukes Of Hazzard: Hazzard In Hollywood.
Hurst’s died one week before he was scheduled to make an appearance at a fan event at the Dukes Of Hazzard–themed museum Cooter’s Place in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., on July 3; (L–R) Byron Cherry, Jeff Altman, Hurst, Catherine Bach, Schneider and Tom Wopat seen in 2023
Shroyer began as a recurring character behind Sonny Shroyer’s deputy Enos Strate, but when Shroyer left for a short-lived spinoff, Hurst gained main-cast billing. He was absent from the final two seasons after Shroyer returned in 1982; Wopat and Schneider pictured
.png?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "Florida man sues steakhouse after suffering ‘severe bodily injury’ when toilet he was using ‘shattered’ beneath him, suit says")
