Actor/comedian John Witherspoon has taken his final bow, passing away yesterday in his home at the age of 77 .
With a near endless list of memorable lines from his roles in various definitively Black film and television projects including Boomerang, Friday, The Wayan Bros., and Boondocks, at least in those moments, he made our lives better and brighter.
So much so, most of us lost sight of his mortality and took for granted he would always be with us because it seemed like he always was.
Throughout his career, whether it was the relationship advice he gave Eddie Murphy’s character in Boomerang or telling Ice Cube’s Craig what it means to be man in Friday, he brought to life Black fatherhood and all of its glory in a funny, yet realistically relatable way. Even his role as Granddad on the animation series Boondocks delivered honest moments that highlighted the beauty of a generation of black culture that is sadly running out of time.
“I’m devastated over the passing of John Witherspoon. Life won’t be as funny without him.”- Ice Cube.
John Witherspoon may have passed away, but the work he has left behind will live on in the laughter of many generations to come. We should all hope to be so lucky.
BE’N ORIGINAL
