Los Angeles, August 10: Ben Jones, best known for playing Cooter Davenport in CBS’ popular action-comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard, has died at the age of 84. Jones, who later served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, died of a “massive heart attack” at his home, according to his wife, Alma Viator.

Viator announced his death in a Facebook post, saying Jones was sitting in his favourite chair and waiting to watch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.

“I lost the love of my life today,” Viator wrote, describing Jones as someone who had “the most amazing rich full life” and was “loved by so many.”

Jones appeared in 141 episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran for seven seasons from January 1979 to February 1985. He played the owner of Cooter's Garage, located in Hazzard County Square across from the sheriff’s office.

The show's popularity helped propel Jones into politics. A Democrat, he first ran for Congress in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District in 1986 but narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Pat Swindall.

Jones won the seat in a landslide two years later after Swindall was accused of lying to a federal grand jury about his dealings with an undercover federal agent posing as a money launderer.

Following redistricting, Jones was defeated by Republican Newt Gingrich in 1994. However, an ethics complaint Jones filed against Gingrich later contributed to Gingrich’s resignation as House Speaker in 1998.

Jones made another bid for Congress in 2002 while living in Virginia, but lost to Eric Cantor, who later became House Majority Leader. Years later, a letter Jones wrote to voters criticising Cantor was cited by pundits as having contributed to Cantor’s unexpected defeat in the Republican primary in 2014.

Jones leaves behind a legacy spanning entertainment and American politics, having built a career that took him from a beloved television role to the halls of Congress. (ANI)