Powderly Native James Best Dies at 88

He was born Jewel Franklin Guy on July 26, 1926, but became James Best or "Jimmie" Best after being adopted at the age of 3--after the death of his mother--by Armen and Essa Best. They asked him what we wanted to be called and he said "Jimmie."

Well, late Monday night, James Best--best-known for his iconic role as Roscoe P. Coltrane on the hit 70s and 80s series The Dukes of Hazzard--passed away after complications from pneumonia.

All through high school I didn't know a guy my age who couldn't do a Roscoe P. Coltrane impersonation. You know, that trademark sound he made? I can't really spell it, so I'll show you:

In the following interview clip, Best describes how he landed his most famous role:

But, long before The Dukes of Hazzard, Best had a HUGE career on television and in the movies. You can check out his enormous list of credits here.

Why, just Sunday night, I saw him in this really cool Twilight Zone episode called "The Grave":

And no Andy Griffith Show fan could forget his appearances on that classic comedy:

James Best was 88 years old.