Stars From The Petticoat Junction Cast You Didn't Know Died

CBS's "Petticoat Junction" was a firm fan favorite in the 1960s, and many years later, it still has loyal fans. Sadly, not all of the show's stars have lived to see how long their work would resonate with audiences, with some cast members even dying during the show's run. 

We'll start with Smiley Burnette, who passed away in 1967. The actor played Charley Pratt on "Petticoat Junction" and featured in a whopping 110 episodes of the show. There's a strong possibility he would have maintained his role if not for illness. As some may know, Burnette was only 55 when he died of leukemia. 

Other than "Petticoat Junction," Burnette was a very established actor (and we're not just talking about him being in another of CBS's rural hits of the '60s, "Green Acres"). With over 150 credits to his name, Burnette was a star, particularly in the Western genre. In fact, the Los Angeles Times ranked him as one of the highest-paid Western stars, alongside his longtime collaborator and friend, Gene Autry. On top of his acting jobs, Burnette was also an established musician: More than 300 of the songs he wrote made their way into his movies. And, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial for the late actor, while some stars are happy to admit defeat in the kitchen, Burnette was also a restaurateur whose recipe for remoulade shrimp sauce still does the rounds on Reddit today. Burnette may have lived a relatively short life, but there's no question he made the most of the time he had. 

Sadly, Smiley Burnette wasn't the only "Petticoat Junction" actor to pass away in the 1960s and while the show was still in production. Bea Benaderet, who'd played Kate Bradley and was the show's star, died in 1968, when the actor was just 62. 

Benaderet had been diagnosed with lung cancer the year prior to her passing, and despite a brief pause from the show to undergo radiation in early 1968, she returned after her five-week treatment was completed. Speaking to the Press-Republican of that return, Benaderet gushed that the producer of the show had been incredibly supportive throughout her health troubles. "I haven't been replaced as the star of 'Petticoat Junction' because my wonderful producer Charlie Stewart tells me he's even writing next season's series with me in the top spot," she shared. However, the actor followed that up with the more sobering reality of the situation. "In the long run it really isn't up to Charlie, is it? Or even the doctors at Stanford. If God says I work, I work," she told the outlet.

Heartbreakingly, Benaderet faced a setback a few months later and ultimately succumbed to the disease in mid-October. True to his word, though, Stewart had included Benaderet's character in the storyline of the next season of "Petticoat Junction." She was able to film a few episodes before she became too ill, meaning fans got to catch a few more glimpses of the beloved star. Her son, Jack Bannon, also became an actor and married "General Hospital" star Ellen Travolta, John Travolta's older sister.

Despite Bea Benaderet's death in 1968, "Petticoat Junction" continued right up until 1970, and thankfully, none of the show's core cast members passed away before then. However, a few years after the show's cancellation, Rufe Davis, who'd played Floyd Smoot, died at age 66.

Notably, Davis had also taken some time away from "Petticoat Junction" ahead of his passing, though that hadn't been as a result of any illness. As was reported by Florida Today in the summer of 1968, he had tried to negotiate a 15-episode guarantee, but production hadn't agreed. According to Facebook fan page Petticoat Junction, The Spirit of Hooterville, he'd wanted to tour nationally and work on other things. However, instead of agreeing to that, production let the actor go, and he didn't feature in Season 6. Davis did return to the show for its seventh season, making appearances in two episodes before it was officially taken off the air. Fans of the show were thrilled to have him back all the same, with Petticoat Junction, The Spirit of Hooterville going as far as saying the show hadn't felt right without him. 

Davis passed away in December 1974, but it's safe to say his legacy lives on. 

Tragedy struck for the "Petticoat Junction" cast again in 1979, when Edgar Buchanan, who'd played the beloved Uncle Joe, died. The 76-year-old star had had brain surgery just two months prior, and had been in a coma for several weeks before his death. 

Fans of "Petticoat Junction" or Buchanan's other work, which included the film "Buffalo Bill" and TV show "Hopalong Cassidy," may know that prior to becoming an actor, he actually worked a fairly normal job as a dentist. That said, we certainly wouldn't go as far as saying he only peaked later in life. After all, as The New York Times reported after Buchanan's death, he'd been a particularly successful dentist, having served as an Oregon hospital's head of oral surgery — and he'd done so in his mid-20s. 

Even with that success, Buchanan acted on the side in local theater and decided to try his hand at doing so professionally in 1939. He got his first role, a background part, in that year's "My Son is Guilty." He went on to become something of a Western icon thanks to his parts in projects such as "Judge Roy Bean" and "The Comancheros." Even decades after his passing, Buchanan continues to be lauded for his work, with a Redditor describing him as "a top notch actor" and Western blogs giving him props for his contributions to the genre.

Many years after Edgar Buchanan's passing, another "Petticoat Junction" star sadly passed away, this time Meredith MacRae, who had played Billie Jo Bradley from from the show's fourth season onwards. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, the actor was only 56 years old at the time of her death, which came as a result of brain cancer. 

OG "Petticoat Junction" fans will likely know that MacRae didn't originate the role of Billie (nor was she the second actor to do so). For those who aren't aware, however, it was Jeannine Riley who had played the part for the show's first two seasons. In Season 3, Gunilla Hutton was onboarded for the part, but from Season 4 onwards, it was MacRae who brought Billie to the screen. 

Outside of "Petticoat Junction," MacRae was likely best known as a reporter, anchoring "Mid-Morning L.A.," winning an Emmy for it, and producing documentaries. Speaking to UPI in 1996, she shared that for the most part, she didn't get recognized for her acting, most people instead knowing her as a TV personality. However, there was one exception: "Petticoat Junction." She might not have been the first Billie, but she was certainly memorable in the part. 

Not all of the "Petticoat Junction" stars passed away at an early age. Frank Cady, who played Sam Drucker in the show throughout its run, was 96 years old when he died in June 2012. And, as fans of CBS's rural programming universe will likely know, he played the same character in "Green Acres" and "The Beverly Hillbillies," too. 

Outside of Drucker, Cady snagged a number of roles in high-profile productions throughout his career, including one in the Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly-starring "Rear Window," and another in the Kirk Douglas-starring "Ace in the Hole." He also had countless other credits to his name and worked steadily right through the 1970s, coming out of retirement for the 1984 "After MASH" series and the 1990 "Return to Green Acres" TV film. However, as was noted in the Los Angeles Times' obituary for the star, Drucker would always be his best-known character, which was at times bittersweet. "I'm remembered for those shows and not for some pretty good acting jobs I did other times. I suppose I ought to be grateful for that. Because otherwise I wouldn't be remembered at all," he was quoted as telling the Portland Oregonian. He'd added, "I've got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world." Cady also criticized those who downplayed the importance of the shows Drucker featured in. Speaking particularly of "Green Acres" to CBS News, Cady lamented, "The only thing I resent is people calling it a corny show. ... It's highly sophisticated, and it's timeless" (via The New York Times). 

Cady's wife passed away a few years before he did. The couple had two children, as well as several grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

Switching gears to one of the "Petticoat Junction" sisters who did originate the role but wasn't there for the show's full run, next up is Pat Woodell, who sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 71. Woodall was the first Bobbie Jo Bradley, playing the part for Seasons 1 and 2 of "Petticoat Junction." Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Woodell's husband, Vern McDade, shared that she had had cancer and had been diagnosed over two decades prior. 

Like we said, Woodell was the first actor to play Bobbie on "Petticoat Junction," and she never made a secret of why she left the show. Speaking to The Chicago Tribune in 1971, she explained, "I was going nowhere with it. I'm grateful for the television experience, but that kind of role is real depredation after a while, and I just had to get out." Woodell also told the outlet that she'd prefer to be a character actor than a star, and that was why she wanted to avoid being typecast. That was also why she decided to join the cast of the raunchy exploitation flick "The Big Doll House," but even then, she told The Chicago Tribune she had no plans of doing anything similar. "I definitely don't want to get typed into this part any more than I want to get typecast as Bobbie Jo," she explained.

Woodell ended up leaving acting altogether, ultimately going into business consulting and starting her own firm. However, "Petticoat Junction" fans would remember her for years to come, and in an interview for a DVD release in the 2000s, she shared (via the Los Angeles Times), "Even today, after so many decades, I can be doing anything, anywhere in the world, by the way, and people will remember 'Petticoat Junction.'"

While a number of the "Petticoat Junction" cast members passed away relatively young, Mike Minor also made it to his 70s, dying at the age of 75 in 2016. 

Though Minor will no doubt be best remembered as Steve Elliott in "Petticoat Junction," diehard fans may know that he'd first appeared as a different character on the show: Dan Plout in Season 2. By Season 4, however, he was playing Elliot, the pilot who wed Betty Jo Bradley. In a sweet real-life twist, Minor and the actor who played Betty, Linda Henning, fell in love on set and stayed together for several years, even tying the knot off-screen. They would eventually split up a few years after "Petticoat Junction" was taken off the air. 

Outside of "Petticoat Junction," Minor also worked on shows such as "All My Children," "CHiPs" and "The Edge of Night." Like many of his co-stars, he was also talented in other areas and worked in the music department for the Henry Fonda-starring show "The Smith Family." Minor shifted to more theater towards the end of his career, and as his brother shared in a YouTube comment, his role in "The Perfect Crime," which he played for five years, was his last. 

Another "Petticoat Junction" star who lived to old age? June Lockhart, who died in 2025. Lockhart was 100 years old at the time of her passing in October 2025, having celebrated her milestone birthday that June. 

Lockhart was not an original cast member and only joined "Petticoat Junction" as Dr. Janet Craig in 1968 as a maternal figure in the wake of Bea Benaderet's illness and later death. Nevertheless, many fans have lauded her ability to step in and allow the show to continue for two more seasons after what might easily have caused "Petticoat Junction" to come to an end. Lockhart had no issue assuming the role of a mother figure: She had long been established as a TV mom thanks to her parts on "Lassie" from the late '50s through to the mid-'60s and "Lost in Space," which ran from 1965 to 1968. Her role in the latter also set her up for two cameos in "Lost in Space" spinoffs, first in the 1998 film of the same name, and then in 2021 as a voice actor in the TV reboot.  

Lockhart remained best known for her work in "Lassie," which was no problem for her — as noted by PBS in its obituary for the actor, she'd once said she was honored to be so attached to that one role in particular. However, she remained booked and busy throughout her life. The late Lockhart was a regular on "General Hospital" in the '80s and '90s, and worked well into her 90s. Given just how many "Petticoat Junction" stars had their own lives cut tragically short, we're thrilled to know some of them led very, very long and happy lives.