Was Rusty Shackleford a real person?

The voice acting community has suffered a tremendous loss. Johnny Hardwick, the man best known as the voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, has died at the age of 64. Hardwick’s body was discovered by police on Tuesday, and as of writing, a cause of death has yet to be determined.

Peers and fans have flocked to social media to pay their respects to Hardwick, who was slated to reprise his role on an upcoming King of the Hill revival for Hulu. Something that’s popped up in relation to Hardwick, however, is the name Rusty Shackelford. The name was often brought up on  King of the Hill, and Dale’s use of the name has led to some confusion over whether Rusty is a real person.

The story is surprisingly layered. Dale started using the name Rusty Shackelford several times during the show’s first four seasons, and when asked about the origins of the name, he gives a concise, albeit strange response. Rusty was the name of a kid that Dale went to school with, and subsequently died young. Dale uses the name for personal identity matters, knowing good and well that the real Rusty won’t cause any trouble.

The thing is, the real guy didn’t. In the season 11 episode “Peggy’s Gone to Pots”, it’s revealed that Rusty is alive and well, and only moved away from Dale’s school. He comes back to town looking for an answer to all of the identity issues that Dale has caused, and the latter responds by trying to stage his own death. By the end of the episode, however, Dale and Rusty have made amends, and Dale agrees to sign a form clearing him of all his wrongdoings. Rusty leaves town, and is never heard from again.

Is Rusty Shackelford dead?

As far as payoffs to seemingly throwaway jokes, “Peggy’s Gone to Pots” is a pretty good one. It clarifies the initial premise, and provides closure that none of the fans realized they needed. There’s another point to address, though, which is whether or not Rusty Shakleford is a real person.

Sure, if you do a cursory search of people with that name, you will find several. There are even a few on IMDb; one of whom is a voice actor for the video game WWE 2K23. The Rusty Shakleford that inspired the character on the show, however, is not real. He’s merely a figment of Hardwick and King of the Hill creator Mike Judge’s imagination.

Judge posted a tribute to Hardwick on Instagram, referencing Dale’s iconic phrase. “Sorry for everyone’s loss! We are gunna miss you Johnny! Sha sha and just like sand thru a pocket he’s the stars now,” the creator wrote. The post is still up on Instagram, but the text has since been removed.

20th Television and Animation and Hulu also released a joint statement praising Hardwick’s creativity. “Johnny Hardwick was an incredibly beloved member of the King of the Hill family, whose tremendous talent, brilliant humor, and friendship will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to work with him over the past 25 years,” they wrote. “Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family as we mourn the loss of one of the animation greats.”