Sanford and Son star Grady Demond Wilson has died aged 79, his family have confirmed.
The actor – known professionally as Demond Wilson – died on Friday, in his California home.
He is survived by his son, Demond Wilson Jr, who confirmed that his father had died after being diagnosed with cancer.
‘I love him. He was a great man,’ Wilson Jr. said in a statement issued to TMZ.
It is not yet known when Wilson was diagnosed with cancer, nor what type of cancer it was.
Wilson appeared in several small television roles in the 1970s before rising to fame with the American remake of Steptoe and Son, in which he played long-suffering Lamont.
After appearing on Sanford and Son from 1971 to 1977, Wilson went on to appear as Raymond Ellis in the sitcom Baby… I’m Back!
His other television and movie credits include episodes of The Love Boat and The New Odd Couple.
He also appeared in the films Me and the Kid, in 1993, and in the 2000 comedy film Hammerlock, alongside Karate Kid star Pat Morita.
His last credited role is for the 2023 drama Eleanor’s Bench, in which he played a character named Isaac after almost twenty years away from the screen.
In addition to son Demond, he is also survived by wife Cicely Johnston and their five other children.
Wilson and former model Cicely tied the knot in 1974, and focused much of their time together on their faith.
Outside of acting, he was ordained as a minister for the Church of God in Christ in 1984, and was a Christian evangelist for much of his life.
In 2009, Wilson released his biography, titled Second Banana: The Bittersweet Memoirs of the Sanford & Son Years.
In this book, he reflected on the making of Sanford and Son, and his legacy as co-lead of the first major sitcom to be fronted by two Black men.
‘Redd and I were making history back in those days,’ he wrote.
‘We were the first Blacks to be on television in that capacity and we opened the door for all those other shows that came after us.
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