Ron Cephas Jones, star of hit shows like Luke Cage and This Is Us, has died.
via: People
A representative for the actor confirmed Jones’ death to PEOPLE on Saturday: “Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.”
“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” the statement continued. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”
“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones,” the statement concluded.
Jones was best known for his role on This Is Us as William Hill, the biological father of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). He won two guest acting Emmys in 2018 and 2020 for his performance on the show. In 2020, his daughter Jasmine, 34, earned her first Emmy, making the pair became the first-ever father-daughter winners in the same year.
The Law & Order: Organized Crime star revealed to The New York Times in 2021 that he privately battled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and received a double lung transplant at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2020, where he was a patient for almost two months.
He previously recalled to Entertainment Weekly in May 2022 how his costars and producers helped him through a life-threatening health scare on his final day on set, telling them: “You cats held me when I was struggling and you didn’t let me go. You’ve been there for a very difficult part of my life. I’m a walking miracle.”
“My whole life has been the stage,” said Jones. “The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death.”
