Song and sausage king Jimmy Dean dies at 81
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Jimmy Dean, the man whose name adorns a line of sausage meats and whose country novelty songs were mainstays of 1960s AM radio, has died at his Richmond-area home at the age of 81, according to a New York Times obituary. In his later years, he conducted an effort to secure state-song designation for “Virginia,” a song he wrote with his wife, Donna, who survives him. Virginia never did choose a state song. “When politics enters,” Dean told the Hook in 2007, “out goes reality.”
Following his February election, Dean has been slated for posthumous induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. A day before his June 21 funeral and burial, there will be a public visitation from noon to 8pm at Nelsen Funeral Home.
Could not beat his meat.
I love to slam his ham. Slam is slang for eating fast you sick minded people.
Biiiiiiiig Jooooooohn
Well at least we still have George Foreman to kick around. I guess Big George took over the Ron Popiel (sic) shtick for useless kitchen gadgets.
For years I never knew who Jimmy Dean was and just assumed he was some anonymous meat handler who parlayed his name into a household word.
Maybe the time is ripe for the launch of “Angel Eyes Sausage”.
Among his many pursuits, Jimmy Dean tried his hand at the thespian arts and enjoyed a memorable role as kidnapped tycoon Willard Whyte in the James Bond adventure Diamonds are Forever (1971) starring Sean Connery. Dean essentially plays himself in this amusing performance.
Cteve sez check it out.
As I understand it, his final wishes were that his remains be ground into sausage so that everyone could enjoy Jimmy Dean one final time.
Anyone remember the variety show he had on ABC back in the 70s? Maybe not as good as the Johhnny Cash show, but was okay.
And don’t forget his hit song “PT 109″ about the wartime exploits of John F. Kennedy.
I also believe he had a country music TV show out of Washington DC in the 50s.
I think of him more in connection with country music than with sausage.
Sorry, The Jimmy Dean show was from the mid 60s, not the 70s.