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Rick Hurst, Cletus Hogg on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ Dies at 79

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As the affable deputy sheriff on the popular CBS show, Mr. Hurst became a beloved figure for many fans of the show.

Rick Hurst smiles while seated in front of a blank red background.

June 27, 2025Updated 10:55 a.m. ET

Rick Hurst, who portrayed the friendly but bumbling deputy sheriff Cletus Hogg on the comedy series “The Dukes of Hazzard,” died at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 79.

His death was confirmed by Ben Jones, who played Cooter on “The Dukes of Hazzard” and remained friends with Mr. Hurst after the show ended.

Mr. Hurst had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet on July 3 at the Cooter’s Place in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., a shop and museum dedicated to the TV show run by Mr. Jones and his wife, Alma Viator, but Mr. Hurst had canceled because he was not feeling well.

Ms. Viator said in a phone interview on Friday that Mr. Hurst’s death was “shocking to all of us, even though we knew he wasn’t feeling well.”

Mr. Hurst appeared as Cletus, the cousin of Boss Hogg, the commissioner of the fictional Hazzard County, in 55 episodes of “The Dukes of Hazzard” from 1979 until 1982. The show ran for seven seasons on CBS.

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Mr. Hurst as the friendly but bumbling deputy sheriff Cletus Hogg in 1979.Credit...Alamy