Rick Hurst, who played sidekick Cletus on “The Dukes of Hazzard”, has died.
He was 79 years old.
His wife, Candace Kaniecki, said that Hurst died unexpectedly at their home in Los Angeles on June 26, TMZ reported. She did not say how he died.
Hurst had been scheduled to appear at Cooter’s Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on July 3.
The restaurant and museum’s owner, Hurst’s co-star Ben Jones, posted on Facebook, "It doesn’t seem right that Rick Hurst passed away this afternoon. When something so unexpected happens, it is ‘harder to process,’ as the current expression goes.”
Message from Ben Jones, REST IN PEACE RICK HURST (1946-2025) It doesn't seem right that Rick Hurst passed away this...
Posted by Cooter's in Luray, VA on Thursday, June 26, 2025
Hurst was born in 1946 in Houston, and had appeared on “Sanford and Son,” “Gunsmoke” and “M*A*S*H*‚" before he was Boss Hogg’s cousin, Deputy Cletus Hogg on the CBS hit show, Deadline reported.
He also appeared in films such as “Earth Girls Are Easy,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Anywhere But Here.”
Hurst’s final role was in the TV short “B My Guest” in 2016, according to his IMDB page.
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