NATION : Jimmy Dean Sued for Divorce

Jimmy Dean’s wife of 40 years wants a divorce from the country music singer and sausage tycoon and is seeking $612,000 a year in support.

In papers filed in Superior Court, Mary Sue Dean accused her husband of having an affair with country music singer Donna Meade, 37.

Mary Sue Dean, who lives in the couple’s home in Tenafly, N.J., claims that her husband abandoned her in April after she spent years helping him with his career and social obligations.

Accountants’ estimates filed with the court show that Dean earned almost $8 million in 1989 and has assets of more than $75 million.

Dean has offered his wife $120,000 per year, saying his career has always afforded the couple a “comfortable” lifestyle, not “opulent or extravagant.”

Dean is best known for his 1961 hit “Big Bad John.” His sausage company produces Jimmy Dean brand sausages.