Jerry Reed has passed away …

Associated Press: Singer-actor Jerry Reed dies at the age of 71

… and he will be sorely missed.

When I got my first DVD player, one of the first DVDs I got was Smokey and the Bandit.

I had everybody over and we watched it and we laughed at its hilarious, good-natured absurdity.

But even though Burt’s performance was (appropriately) cranked up to 11, Jerry Reed was my favorite character with his effortless smile and natural charm.

My friends and I loved Jerry Reed so much, in fact, that several of us took a trip up to Nashville, Indiana to see him perform at the Little Nashville Opry about 10 years ago.

He sang classic songs and told hilarious stories and posed for photos with us:

Put that hammer down in Heaven, son. You will live on forever in your movies and music, and you sure made a hell of a lot of joy while you were here.

Here’s a photo from when I met him:

(Please also click here for my friend Bob’s thoughts on Mr. Reed.)