John Witherspoon, veteran actor and comedian, best known for starring as Mr. Jones in the Friday movie series, and voicing Gramps on The Boondocks, died on October 29, 2019.

He was 77.

Witherspoon is survived by his wife, Angela Robinson-Witherspoon, whom he married in 1988, and their two children, Alexander Witherspoon and John David Witherspoon.

A cause of death was not immediately given.

Witherspoon was one of 11 siblings, among them Dr. Gertrude Stacks.^[1]

His family confirmed in a statement to Deadline: “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.

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 a huge deal to us.”^[2]