Jimmy Dean Dies: 5 Things You Need to Know
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Jimmy Dean, known worldwide for his famous sausage brand, died Sunday at the age of 81 in his Varina, Virginia home. But the life of the beloved "Sausage King" carries way more than just hot links. Here's a few tidbits you ought to know about this iconic entertainer and entrepreneur.
PICTURES: Jimmy Dean: 1928-2010
Number 1: He was a Country Music Star - A Texas native, who arose from poverty and had only a ninth-grade education, Dean gained fame as a country singer beginning in the 1950s, forming the Texas Wildcats. Two iconic country singers - Patsy Cline and Roy Clark - got their starts on Dean's popular Washington D.C. radio show "Town and Country" in the mid-1950s. He was also the first country performer to play on the Las Vegas strip.
Dean's beloved 1961 signature tune about workingman hero "Big Bad John" went to Number 1 on the Billboard charts, selling over one million units. The song won Dean the 1962 Grammy for Best Country & Western Recording. Amazingly, he wrote it in under two hours.
Number 2: He Grew Up Poor, But Became Rich - Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. By the 1990s, his fortune, built on music and his iconic sausage brand, was estimated at $75 million.
Number 3: He Was a Host With The Most - On the small screen, Dean was a nationally televised host by the early 1960s. He was a host of the CBS News program "The Morning Show" and also had his own ABC variety series "The Jimmy Dean Show" from 1963 - 1966, reports the New York Daily News. He was one of the few to regularly present country music entertainers to a mainstream audience, including Buck Owens and Roger Miller. Dean was the first guest host of "The Tonight Show."
Number 4: He Had Acting Chops - Though widely known as "The Sausage King," Jimmy Dean had a number of roles on the silver screen. His acting career included a supporting role in the 1971 James Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" where he played reclusive Las Vegas billionaire Willard Whyte, MTV.com reports. He also appeared in several episodes of the NBC series "Daniel Boone" as well as two episodes on "Fantasy Island."
Number 5: He Was a Butcher By Blood - When Dean's entertainment career began to wind down, he returned to a familiar childhood activity: slaughtering pigs. According to an Associated Press report, Dean grew up butchering hogs on his family's farm in Texas. In 1969, he started the Jimmy Dean Meat Company, which became instantly profitable. He sold it off to Sara Lee in 1984 and stayed on as spokesman until 2003.
