Actor James Best has died aged 88.

When it comes down to just the good ole' boys, Best was among the top stars. That's why so many people tuned in to CBS in the late '70s/early '80s to watch Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane chase Bo and Luke Duke all around Hazzard county, trying to run them in for moonshining, speeding, reckless driving or just about anything Boss Hog would put him up to so he could profit from it.

According to TMZ, the "Dukes of Hazzard" star spent many years in the western arena with shows like "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza" and "Rawhide." But his resume is far more reaching than that.

With 187 acting credits to his name listed on IMDb, Best also appeared in shows like "Mod Squad," "I Spy" and "Perry Mason." He had a recurring role on the Andy Griffith show as a guitar picking Rock and Roller.

But it was his role as the stuttering dim-witted Sheriff of Hazzard County that gave him a household name. Although his character was often working the devious greedy plots that Boss Hog laid out for him, Roscoe P. Coltrane was also found to be a kind-hearted and even gentle man at times.

Best taught actors at his acting school, which he formed in the '70s, that taught major stars such as Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Lindsay Wagner and Quentin Tarantino.

In a comment made on an obituary at JamesBest.com, Dukes co-star John Schneider said, "... I learned more about acting in front of a camera from Jimmie Best in an afternoon than from anyone else in a year. When asked to cry on camera, he would say, 'Sure thing ... which eye?'" Many of his friends and family have made warm comments on his website obituary.

According to the TMZ report, Best passed away due to complications from pneumonia, following a brief illness at a hospice facility.