John Schneider turned to social media on Thursday evening (June 26) to mark the death of one of his The Dukes of Hazzard co-stars, calling him a “remarkable force for humanity.” Rick Hurst — who played Deputy Cletus Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard from 1980 until 1983 — died on Thursday at the age of 79,

Hurst’s passing was confirmed by his long-time friend and Dukes co-star, Ben Jones, who shared a message with the Cooter’s Pigeon Forge Facebook page. Jones had been scheduled to make a meet-and-greet appearance at the Cooter’s Place museum from July 3 to July 7. A cause of death was not provided.

Rick Hurst, best known as Deputy Cletus Hogg on ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ & father to Ryan Hurst, died at 79. Learn more about the actor here.