Rick Hurst, the affable actor best known for playing Deputy Cletus Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard, passed away on June 26, 2025, in Los Angeles at the age of 79. His death was confirmed by his Dukes co-star Ben Jones.
A veteran character actor with a career spanning five decades, Rick made his mark from his TV debut in the early 1970s through his iconic role on The Dukes of Hazzard. He is survived by his sons, including actor Ryan Hurst, who played Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans.
Find out more about him below.
Rick launched his career in the early 1970s, quickly landing guest roles on popular series like The Doris Day Show, Sanford and Son, and The Partridge Family. His natural comedic chops and everyman presence helped him become a go-to character actor in Hollywood during that decade.
Rick died in Los Angeles on June 26, 2025, at the age of 79. His former wife, Candace Kaniecki, told TMZ that his passing was “unexpected,” and no official cause of death has been released.
Ben shared a heartfelt message on the Facebook page for Cooter’s Place, the museum dedicated to the show. “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,” Ben wrote.
Rick had been scheduled to appear at a meet-and-greet on July 3 at Cooter’s Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, but had canceled because he wasn’t feeling well. Alma Viator, who runs the museum with her husband Ben, said in a phone interview on June 27 that Rick’s death was “shocking to all of us, even though we knew he wasn’t feeling well.”
