Grammy Award winning country singer Jimmy Dean was the man behind "Jimmy Dean" brand sausages and the founder of the Jimmy Dean Food Company. Born August 10, 1928, Dean passed away June 13, 2010 at the age of 81. In the 1960s Dean hosted variety shows on CBS and ABC. Dean was the first guest on The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was the host.Official Site: Bios
Dean's Virginia home caught fire on the evening of April 20, 2009. The blaze left the home he shares with his wife Donna Meade heavily damaged. The couple escaped without harm but three firefighters suffered minor injuries. It was reported that the accidental fire began in 80-year-old Dean's basement.NBC12 (VA): Firefighters Injured After Fire Breaks Out at Jimmy Dean's Home (April 21, 2009)
Honors
- Appointing him to Virginia's Board of Game and Inland Fisheries in 1999Official Site: Bios
- Inducted into Virginia's Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997Official Site: Bios
- Inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005Official Site: Bios
Featured Video
Jimmy Dean News
- Richmond Times-Dispatch: 3 firefighters hurt in blaze at Jimmy Dean's Varina home (April 21, 2009)
References
Fast Facts
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Full name
Jimmy Ray Dean
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Born
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Death
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Birthplace
Plainview, TexasOfficial Site: Bios
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Resides in Virginia
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Spouse
Donna Meade
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Country music singer, actor and entrepreneur
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Song "Big Bad John" was a Billboard number one hit in 1961
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Earned a Best Country & Western Recording Grammy Award in 1962 for the song "Big Bad John"
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Had his own variety show in the 1960s called the The Jimmy Dean Show
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Founder of Jimmy Dean Food Company
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Jimmy Dean Food Company merged with the Sara Lee Corporation in 1985Official Site: Bios
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Played the character Willard Whyte in Diamonds Are Forever
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Published his autobiography in 2004; titled 30 Years of Sausage, 50 Years of Ham
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Was in the U.S. Air Force in the 1940sOfficial Site: Bios
