R.I.P.
Country legend Jimmy Dean died at 7:54 pm on June 13 at the age of 81, the Associated Press is reporting.
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said he died at their Henrio County, Virginia, home while he was eating in front of the television. She added that it was a shock, because even though he had health problems, he was still “functioning well.” Donna was Dean’s second wife, they were married in 1991 after meeting on a show called “Nashville Now”.
While Dean is remembered most for his Grammy-winning song ‘Big Bad John,’ he started his career in the 1950s on his nationally televised show ’The Jimmy Dean’ show. He became an entrepreneur in 1969 when he started his sausage business, the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. Dean sold the brand to the Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.
Dean was semi-retired when he died, and lived on a 200-acre estate just outside of Richmond. She went on to say that he was looking forward to being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October.
Funeral arrangements for Dean will be help publicly this Sunday and Monday. There is going to be 8 hours of visitation, after which Dean will be laid to rest in a grand piano shaped tomb that overlooks the James River.