While I can't say I was a huge Jimmy Dean fan and have all his albums (How many were there?) or a fridge full of his sausages, I liked him a lot. As a spokesperson he always seemed sincere, good-natured and completely natural. I don't know how many movies he made, but I sure thought he was perfect in Diamonds are Forever. You can't argue with the fact that he had a full life: singer, songwriter, businessman, talk show host, and a friend to the Muppets. But I guess most non-country fans will remember him only for Jimmy Dean sausages, an enterprise he sold to Consolidated Foods (Sara Lee) in 1984. Born on August 10, 1928, Jimmy Ray Dean died June 13, 2010. "Big Bad John" lives on.
"At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man: Big John."
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