On a day when the film industry lost one of its finest voices, comes more sad news. Jerry Reed, the country western singer turned actor, has died aged 71.
Although primarily a singer/songwriter, Reed was perhaps best known to movie audiences for his appearances alongside Burt Reynolds in the Smokey And The Bandit movies. Reed played Cledus Snow, aka The Snowman, and proved so popular that he assumed the mantle of The Bandit when Reynolds declined to return for Smokey And The Bandit Part 3.
Born Jerry Reed Hubbard in 1937, Reed had his first real success with the self-penned song, Guitar Man, which Elvis Presley famously re-recorded (with Reed on guitar), but it wasn’t until the 1970s that he became a recording artiste of some note.
A close friend of Burt Reynolds, Reed appeared in W.W. And The Dixie Dancekings in 1974 and then Gator in 1976. A couple of Reynolds-free films followed, before Smokey And The Bandit came calling in 1977, with the sequel in 1980. As a sign of gratitude, Reynolds gave him a black Trans-am – just like the one from the movies.
After that, and after his lead turn in Part 3, Reed’s movie career – which you always felt was more of a hobby for him - faded away, although he did play the bad guy in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy in 1998.
He died early on Monday of complications arising from emphysema.