The Dukes of Hazzard's famous 'General Lee' car was destroyed in Hurricane Ida, actor reveals

• A 'General Lee' car from the Dukes of Hazzard was destroyed during Hurricane Ida.
• Actor John Schneider shared images on Facebook of the crushed vehicle at his Louisiana studios.
• Hurricane Ida battered Louisiana, leaving more than a million people without power.

An instantly recognizable "General Lee" car, which became a controversial symbol of The Dukes of Hazzard, was destroyed during Hurricane Ida, actor John Schneider has revealed.

Schneider, who played Bo in the CBS television series, shared images of the crushed 1969 Dodge Charger on his Facebook page.

"When something like this happens you have two choices," wrote the 61-year-old actor in a Facebook caption. "Tears and laughter. I choose laughter."

The post asked fans to caption the image of the vehicle, with Schneider sharing his own: "Miss Ida stopped by to see the General at Miss Shirley's last night."

Schneider said that this particular car model was used for stunts and, according to Getty Images, it was used in the film "Christmas Cars." He has several other replicas of the vehicle, the Daily Mirror reported.

The actor's home and studios in Holden, Louisiana, were damaged by Hurricane Ida, the fifth most powerful hurricane to ever strike the United States, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Once the hurricane came ashore in southern Louisiana on Sunday, Reuters reported, more than a million customers lost power and another 600,000 were without water. At least nine deaths were reported in the state and a further 46 were killed in the Northeast, the news agency said.

The "General Lee" car, which has a Confederate flag roof and is named after Civil War general Robert E. Lee, has sparked controversy in recent years. In 2015, Warner Bros halted production of toy models of the car after facing criticism, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Schneider defended the vehicle in a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I have never had an African American come up to me and have any problem with it whatsoever," Schneider said. "The whole politically correct generation has gotten way out of hand."