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Cape Town – Comedian and actor John Witherspoon died on Tuesday at his home. He was 77 years old.
His family shared a statement confirming his death on Twitter.
"It is with deep sadness we have to tweet this, but our husband & father John Witherspoon has passed away. 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."
In a statement to Deadline, the family said: "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."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, John broke into stand-up comedy in the late 60s and 70s.
John is best known for his roles in the Friday franchise, The Tracy Morgan Show, and The Wayans Brothers sitcom.
Marlon Wayans, who acted alongside John in The Wayans Brothers, also paid tribute to his co-star on Instagram writing, "I’m sad. Broken. Hurt... yet extremely grateful to God that I got to spend 5 years of my life working with one of the funniest, sweetest, wisest, humblest, loving men.
"You were my TV dad and my mentor and my friend. I miss you already," he said, before adding, "#mysecondpops".
SEE HIS POST HERE:
Compiled by Leandra Engelbrecht (Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Twitter).
