LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 1: The Dukes of Hazzard. A CBS television rural sitcom. January 1, 1982. ... More Pictured is Rick Hurst (as Cletus). (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS via Getty Images Rick Hurst, who is remembered as Deputy Clutus Hogg, Bogg Hogg’s (Sorrell Booke) bumbling cousin on The Dukes of Hazzard, died on Thursday of unknown causes. He was 79. Hurst’s first wife, Candace Kaniecki, told TMZ that his passing was unexpected. “We’re heartbroken to announce that Rick Hurst, Cletus, has passed away. He was so kind to me when I visited the reunion sets and whenever we saw him at events. Please share your memories and keep the family in your thoughts and prayers,” read a post of The Dukes of Hazzard fan site HazzardNet.com on Twitter. Hurst appeared in the 1979 to 1982 seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard and in the TV movies The Dukes of Hazzard Reunion in 1997 and The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard of Hollywood in 2002. LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 19: The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood, a made for TV movie, ... More originally broadcast May 19, 2000. Group shot of cast members, left to right: Sonny Shroyer (as Enos Strate); Rick Hurst (as Deputy Cletus Hogg); Ben Jones (as Cooter Davenport, wears cap); Tom Wopat (as Luke Duke); Catherine Bach (as Daisy Duke); John Schneider (as Bo Duke); James Best (as Rosco P. Coltrane); and Mac Davis (as The Balladeer). Image dated October 19, 1999. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS via Getty Images Born January 1, 1946 in Houston Texas, Hurst began on television as a guest star in numerous series in the early 1970s including The Doris Day Show, Sanford and Son, The Partridge Family, The Bob Newhart Show, Kung Fu and Love, American Style. His first regularly scheduled role in a television show was Cleaver in the 1975 to 1976 comedy On the Rocks. Next were more guest spots, including M*A*S*H and crime drama Baretta, followed by the 1979 miniseries From Here to Eternity. MORE FOR YOU When Sonny Shroyer temporarily exited The Dukes of Hazzard for his spinoff Enos, Rick Hurst as Cletus Hogg was upgraded to a series regular. LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 19: The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood, a made for TV movie, ... More originally broadcast May 19, 2000. Portrait of cast members, left to right: Rick Hurst (as Deputy Cletus Hogg); Sonny Shroyer (as Enos Strate). Image dated October 19, 1999. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) CBS via Getty Images Following The Dukes of Hazzard, Hurst appeared as Earl Nash, a chef, in the 13-episode Bea Arthur sitcom Amanda’s in 1983. Later guest TV appearances included Michael Landon’s Highway to Heaven, The Last Precinct, Murder, She Wrote, 227, Family Matters and Melrose Place. His film roles included Steel Magnolias and The Karate Kid Part III, both in 1989. Hurst is survived by his sons Ryan Hurst and Collin Hurst. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions