Burt Reynolds, wisecracking star of 'Smokey and the Bandit' and 'Deliverance,' dies at 82

Burt Reynolds, who reigned as Hollywood's wisecracking, good ol' boy box-office champ in the late 1970s and early '80s in movies such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "The Cannonball Run" and made pop culture history as Cosmopolitan magazine's first nude male centerfold, has died. He was 82.

Reynolds died suddenly Thursday, according to his niece Nancy Lee Hess.

"My uncle was not just a movie icon; he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man, who was dedicated to his family, friends, fans and acting students," Hess said in a statement issued through Reynolds' agent.

"He has had health issues, however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that's who he was."

Neither Hess nor Reynolds' agent, Erik Kritzer, confirmed the actor's cause of death.

For five years in a row - 1978 through 1982 - Reynolds was the No. 1 box-office star, in movies such as "Hooper," "Starting Over," "The End," "Sharky's Machine" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

Dolly Parton, Reynolds' co-star in 1982's "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," expressed her