John Witherspoon Dies: Comedian & ‘Friday’ Star Was 77
John Witherspoon, actor-comedian who for decades made audiences laugh in television shows and films, including the hit Friday franchise, died suddenly at his home today. He was 77.
“It is with deepest sorrow that we can confirm our beloved husband and father, John Witherspoon, one of the hardest working men in show business, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks at the age of 77,” Witherspoon’s family said in a statement to Deadline. “He is survived by his wife Angela, and his sons JD, Alexander, and a large family. We are all in shock, please give us a minute for a moment in privacy and we will celebrate his life and his work together. John used to say ‘I’m no big deal’, but he was huge deal to us.”
Comedy great Witherspoon was born in Detroit in 1942 as John Weatherspoon. He launched a stand-up comedy career and began acting in the late 1970s with guest-starring TV roles, making his feature debut in the 1980 The Jazz Singer.. Witherspoon appeared in numerous films, including Hollywood Shuffle, Boomerang, Vampire in Brooklyn, I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, Bird and The Meteor Man.
Witherspoon was perhaps best known for his role as the grump Mr. Jones alongside Ice Cube and Chris Tucker in Friday. He also appeared in the sequel Next Friday, and was expected to reprise his role in the long-gestating final installment of the franchise titled Last Friday.
Witherspoon also voiced Gramps on the cult animated series The Boondocks. He likely would’ve returned for the series’ upcoming revival on HBO Max. Also known for his role as Pops on The Wayans Brothers, Witherspoon did stints on such comedy series as The Tracy Morgan Show, The First Family and Black Jesus.
Even with his busy film and TV career, standup comedy remained an important part of Witherspoon’s life. At age 77, he continued to perform regularly and had several dates coming up at the time of his death.
Joined: 15 Sep 2012 Posts: 29454 Location: La La Land
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:56 pm Post subject:
Damn. That sucks. Always enjoyed his performances. The new seasons of Boondocks won't be the same without him _________________ "Every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better”
ShakariSBriggs
@ShakariSBriggs
REST IN LOVE, Pops! Although John Witherspoon was most notably known for his roles in “Friday,” “Next Friday,” “Last Friday,” and “The Boondocks,” he made you laugh till’ your sides hurt in every role he played. Here’s a thread of pure funny.
Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 40345 Location: Dirty South
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 5:55 am Post subject:
ocho wrote:
His performance in BOOMERANG is the stuff of legends #coordinate
he kind of set the trend for NBA and NFL draft picks for the next few decades with the whole mushroom liner in the jacket "coordinating" with the rest of the outfit.
Joined: 29 Jan 2016 Posts: 963 Location: The Dark Side of the Moon
Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2019 11:10 am Post subject:
“Don’t nobody go in the bathroom for about 35, 45 minutes.”
“ I’ve been smelling your sh!t for 22 years now you can smell mine for 5 minutes.”
RIP _________________ We pour this booze and we drink this booze because we think it's yummy. YUMMY! So over the tounge and down the throat to party in our tummys.
DOWN THE HOLA BITC*OLA!!!
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum