RICHMOND, Va. – Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hitabout a workingman hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known forhis sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.
    
His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.
    
Shetold The Associated Press that he had some health problems but wasstill functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he waseating in front of the television. She left the room for a time andcame back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at7:54 p.m.
    
"He was amazing," she said. "He had a lot of talents."
    
Born in 1928, Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_jimmy_dean#)after the ninth grade. He went on to a successful entertainment careerin the 1950s and '60s that included the nationally televised "The JimmyDean Show."
    
In 1969, Dean went into the sausagebusiness, starting the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. in his hometown. He sold thecompany to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.

May he rest in peace.
 
Frankly, there used to be nothing better than Jimmy Dean roll bulk sausage.  It was the only thing I made biscuits and gravy with...but they ended up changing the recipe...it wasn't as rich, and would fry up much crispier (which changed the way the entire recipe tasted),  now seeing that he had sold the company, I can understand why that change likely took place, since I don't think he would have ever approved changing his own recipe...
 
He was quirky and simple, but talented in many arenas...
 

Rest in peace Jimmy.