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'Love Bug' actor Dean Jones dies at 84

By Marilyn Malara
Dean Jones stars in 'Love Bug.' The actor died Sept. 1 at 84 years old. Photo courtesy of DisneyMoviesOnDemand/YouTube
Dean Jones stars in 'Love Bug.' The actor died Sept. 1 at 84 years old. Photo courtesy of DisneyMoviesOnDemand/YouTube

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Disney actor Dean Jones -- who held leading roles in such films as The Love Bug, That Darned Cat! and The Million Dollar Duck -- has died. He was 84 years old.

According to his publicist Richard Hoffman, Jones died Tuesday of complications from Parkinson's disease.

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Jones worked in a total of 46 Hollywood films, five Broadway shows and several television shows and specials throughout his acting career. The Snowball Express actor was inducted into the Disney Legends Hall of Fame in 1995. In his statement, Hoffman noted his client's total film grosses are over $960 million.

Jones is arguably best known for his role in Love Bug, in which he played the leading man -- a discontented race car driver who buys a VW Beetle and names it Herbie.

Jones was born in Decatur, Ala. in 1931 and served in the Navy during the Korean War. His entertainment career began humbly when he hosted a local radio show called Dean Jones Sings. His first Disney film was 1965's That Darn Cat! in which he played an FBI agent.

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The famed actor is survived by his wife, Lory Basham Jones, their three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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