Jimmy Dean, The Singer, The Sausage, The Sodium, Dead at 81.

Bad news to all of you microwavable sodium lactate lovers – Jimmy Dean, the country singer turned sausage icon, died at his home last night at the age of 81. Not a bad age for a man responsible of stuffing America with nylon packed smoked sausage sandwiches, made out of goodies like monosodium glutamate, sodium diacetate and cheese.

Of course that Jimmy Dean will not only be remembered as the cause for blocked arteries around the nation; Dean’s success as a country singer rocketed when “Big Bad John” won him a Grammy in 1962 followed by a TV variety show that lasted for three years.

But Dean was always a romantic, and his true passion, according to AP, was “slaughtering pigs on his family’s farm by hitting them over the head with the blunt end of an ax and then grinding the meat alongside his brother Don.” Good times.

And so Dean started his meat company, and introduced America to wonderful gourmet creations like the all time favorite shtick “Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick” or the forever classic Jimmy Dean’s Sausage, Balls.

If you guys are worried about the future of your cholesterol laden breakfasts, just know that Jimmy Dean, R.I.P, sold his company to the Sara Lee corporation and things will go back to normal, as soon as their CEO will recover from stroke.