Hollywood is mourning the loss of John Witherspoon.
After news broke that theFridayactor and comediandiedTuesday night at age 77, celebrities recalled their fondest memories of Witherspoon on social media and shared the impact he had on the entertainment industry.
John Witherspoon.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
“Anyone that knows me knows how much i love pops,” he continued. “You have a strong wife and great kids. What an amazing family. Your boys damn near grew up on the #WayansBros set they’ll always be like my little brothers and sons. i will pass on all the jewels that you bestowed on to us. Thank you God for the many many many laughs that we shared on and off the set. You got ‘all the keys 🔑 ‘ and i know you got one to heaven’s gate. Anytime i want to laugh or to see you I’m gonna put on a episode of wayans bros and laugh until i cry. I miss already…. hope your dancing in heaven with ugly white shoes on. “Pops pops sugar pops”.
Next FridaystarMike Eppsshared a touching post about his costar and wrote, “Aww man this is a heart breaker I remember the first day on the set of next Friday and you told me calm down and let the jokes come natural I was so honored to have work with you thank you for all the advice and laughs and great movies that you gave us Jhon we love you man rest easy see you in comedy heaven 🌹❤️🙏🏿 you be truly missed.”
“No matter when they go it’s always too soon… RIP to a real legend… You will be missed but never forgotten… @johnnywitherspoon all the love in the world to your legacy and to your family… Got real tears in my eyes on this one… But watching this clip makes me LOL 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾,”Jamie Foxxcaptioned a video of Witherspoon on Instagram.
“Glad I had a chance to get to know you King. You’re truly one of the funniest most genuine people anyone could ever meet. Rest easy and God bless your transition. 🙏🏽👑 #RIPSpoon,” said rapper T.I.
Arsenio Hall honored Witherspoon’s influence in stand-up comedy, writing, “John Witherspoon 🎤 A tremendous loss to the standup comedy family! Rest in grace brother.”
The OfficeandBrooklyn Nine-Nineactor Craig Robinson shared a throwback selfie with Witherspoon and wrote, “I love you brother. Thank you. Rest In Peace.”
“Pure funny. Hilarious and always kind. John Witherspoon will be missed,” Judd Apatow tweeted early Tuesday morning.
“I’m devastated over the passing of John Witherspoon. Life won’t be as funny without him,” said hisFridaycostarIce Cube.
“My dad, my grandpa, my comedic inspiration! I love you Spoons! Rest In Paradise, King,”Regina Kingshared on Twitter.
On Tuesday night, Witherspoon’s familyrevealed he died in a statementshared on the actor’s Twitter account.
“He was a legend in the entertainment industry, and a father figure to all who watched him over the years. We love you ‘POPS’ always & forever,” the statement concluded.
A cause of death is not immediately clear.
Earl Gibson III/FilmMagic
John Witherspoon and the cast of theTracy Morgan Show.Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
John Davidspoke outabout his dad’s death, sharing a series of sweet childhood memories on Twitter.
“So… my Dad died today & honestly I’m not sure how to feel. I’m sad, but I’m also happy 4 all the great times we had together. We’d roast each other like homes more than Father & Son, and I really liked that. He was my best friend & idol,” John David expressed.
“Love U Dad… I’ll miss u,” he added.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1942, Witherspoon started his career doing stand-up comedy.
He later would go on to work in television in film, with 84 credits to his name including memorable roles inSoul Plane,The Tracy Morgan Show,The First Family,andBlack Jesus,as well as voice work inThe BoondocksandThe Proud Family.
His most memorable role was in the comedyFriday,alongside Cube andChris Tucker.
Witherspoon played Cube’s father Willie Jones. He reprised the part in 2000’sNext Fridayand 2002’sFriday After Next.He was set to play the role in the upcoming fourth installmentLast Friday, which is currently in pre-production.
Others know Witherspoon as “Pops,” having played John Williams — the father of the Wayans brothers‘ characters onThe Wayans Bros,which ran from 1995 to 1999.
source: people.com
