Death can come at unexpected times, and The Dukes of Hazzard star Richard Hurst suddenly passed away at age 79, just a week before his appearance at a fan event in Tennessee. Richard Hurst, also referred to as Rick Hurst, played Deputy Cletus Hogg in the iconic show, serving as the cousin of Boss Hogg, portrayed by Sorrell Booke. Hurst also appeared in dozens of shows and movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s, playing a variety of supporting characters in his roles. Still, many who grew up watching The Dukes of Hazzard will definitely remember Cletus as his most prominent role.
According to TMZ, Candace Kaniecki, Rick Hurst’s wife, claims that his passing in LA was unexpected and that the cause of death is currently unknown. Reddit user carltonfisk72 claimed to be Hurst’s neighbor and even got the chance to talk to him multiple times about his acting career and his son. “He lived in my building and was the nicest guy,” they said. Unfortunately, they said the police had arrived not too long ago before they posted their comment, so it’s pretty apparent to them what the reason was. “So sad,” they lament.
Many other online users reacting to the news of Rick Hurst’s death all state that The Dukes of Hazzard was one of the highlights of their childhood. He was one of the characters who “made the seasons fun,” remarked a Redditor. “Cletus was such a good guy,” chimed in another. Oddly, there is a handful of Reddit users who claim that they didn’t even know Hurst was still alive, as it’s been so many years since the iconic show aired. “Gotta be honest, the fact that he was alive was the unexpected part for me,” one person said. Others added, saying that there is nothing really ‘unexpected’ about a person who’s almost 80 passing away. To be fair, they aren’t wrong, but such comments are still a little heartless.
While Cletus might have been a favorite in The Dukes of Hazzard, the show wasn’t free from controversy. According to the Daily Mail, the show’s iconic car, “The General Lee,” was just one of the multiple symbols and imagery used as a nostalgic throwback to the Confederacy. It goes without saying that anything promoting a symbol of slavery is not something that will fly in today’s day and age, and for good reason. Allegedly, a toy car of The General Lee was in production at one point as well. Whatever the case, it’s probably best for viewers to just cherish the good memories they had with Cletus and other characters of The Dukes of Hazzard and move on past any poor taste in humor from the show’s writing.
