Jimmy Dean, of sausage and country western music fame, died of natural causes yesterday in his Varina, VA home.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, told the Associated Press:
...that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.
Born to Ruth and George Otto Dean of Plainview, TX in 1928, he eventually dropped out of high school to join the US Air Force for a brief tour in the late '40s. He later went on to country music fame.
His first hit was "Bummin' Around" in 1953, but he is best known for his 1961 chart topper "Big Bad John." Such big names as Patsy Cline and Roy Clark got their start with Dean.
He had an extensive television career including his skits on The Muppet Show with Rowlf the Dog and his own ABC variety series, The Jimmy Dean Show. I used to love those skits as a kid.
In 1969, he and his brother Don founded the Jimmy Dean Sausage Company (ahahaha that's a sausage link), which was acquired by Consolidated Foods (later renamed Sara Lee Corporation) in 1984. I loved that sausage as a kid too. Put a link on a popsicle stick, dip it in pancake batter, fry it, and then dip it in maple syrup. Om nom nom nom.
He is survived by his wife, three children and two granddaughters.
No comments:
Post a Comment