Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones died after a long battle with a respiratory illness, according to reports.
His business manager confirmed Jones died due to a “long-standing pulmonary issue” on Saturday, August 19, 2023. He was 66.
Jones is best known for starring in the hit NBC television drama “This Is Us.” He won 2 Emmy Awards for his role as William Hill in the series.
Jones and his daughter Jasmine, 34, became the first-ever father-daughter duo to win Emmys in the same year.
“This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman called Jones’ death “a massive loss.”
“Ron was the best of the best – on-screen, on stage, and in real life,” Fogelman wrote in a statement on Twitter/X. “The coolest. The easiest hang and laugh. And my God: what an actor. I don’t think I ever changed a single take of his in a cut… because everything he did was perfect.”
Jones also appeared in the television series “Law & Order”, “New York Undercover”, “NYPD Blue”, and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
His movie roles include Dolemite Is My Name (2019), Preaching to the Choir (2005), Paid in Full (2002), and He Got Game (1999).
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, who starred in “Truth Be Told” with Jones, wrote:
“I’m heartbroken to lose my dear friend and colleague Ron Cephas Jones. Ron was an incredibly talented actor and, most importantly, a wonderfully kind human being. Every day on set with Ron was a good day. I’m sending all my love to his daughter Jasmine, family, friends and fans.”
Actor Sterling K. Brown, who played Jones’ son on “This Is Us,” paid tribute to his friend in a post on Instagram.
“Life imitated art today,” Sterling wrote in the caption of a scene from “This Is Us” that shows Jones’s character wearing an oxygen tube in his nose.
