Actor John Witherspoon Passes Away at 77

John Witherspoon, actor and comedian, who’s known for his roles in the Friday franchise, The Wayne Bros., and The Boondocks, passed away last night (Oct. 29) at the age of 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,” the Witherspoon’s family told Deadline in a statement. “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.”

Witherspoon was expected to reprise his role as Robert Jebediah “Grandad” Freeman in the forthcoming Boondocks reboot, ordered by HBO.

Throughout the years, the Detroit native made numerous appearances in films and music videos, including Soul Plane, Little Man,  The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single, The Tracy Morgan Show, Black Jesus, Black-ish, JAY-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” and Field Mob’s “Sick Of Being Lonely.”

Our prayers and condolences go out to the Witherspoon family.