Ben Jones
American · 84 years old · Died 9 August 2026
Actor — Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard; Georgia Congressman
Cause of death
Heart attack
Ben Jones played the lovable mechanic Cooter Davenport in all seven seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985), a role that made him one of the most recognisable faces on American television. Beyond acting, he had a remarkable second career in politics, serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th congressional district from 1989 to 1993. He died at 84 from a massive heart attack at his home in Virginia — reportedly waiting in his favourite chair for a Braves game to come on.
How common is cardiovascular disease?
Ben Jones died of heart attack. Globally, cardiovascular disease kills 18,600,000 people every year — that is 50,959 per day, or roughly one person every 2 seconds. It accounts for 30% of all deaths worldwide.
Deaths / year
18,600,000
Deaths / day
50,959
Deaths / hour
2,123
Deaths / second
0.59
Share of all global deaths
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease
Since Ben Jones died
Live count since 9 August 2026
Total deaths worldwide since then
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Deaths from same cause since then
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