At a glance
- Age
- 81
- Born
- August 10, 1928
- From
- Plainview
- Nationality
- United States
Biography
Most people who hear the name today think of the sausage brand first, and that is not an accident. Jimmy Dean built the company that carried his name, then put himself in front of the camera as its spokesman. The likeness and the voice stayed in the advertising even after he died, which is a rarer kind of business legacy than most performers manage.
Before and alongside that, he worked in country music as a singer and songwriter, hosted television, and acted. Born in Plainview, Texas, on 10 August 1928, he moved between those roles rather than settling into one, which is why he tends to be described as a performer and a businessman in the same breath.
He died on 13 June 2010. What draws people to his story is the crossover itself: someone who made his name in front of an audience and then turned that recognition into a product line, and whose face and voice went on selling long after he was gone.
Before and alongside that, he worked in country music as a singer and songwriter, hosted television, and acted. Born in Plainview, Texas, on 10 August 1928, he moved between those roles rather than settling into one, which is why he tends to be described as a performer and a businessman in the same breath.
He died on 13 June 2010. What draws people to his story is the crossover itself: someone who made his name in front of an audience and then turned that recognition into a product line, and whose face and voice went on selling long after he was gone.
