John Witherspoon, Friday actor and comedian missed

Active. From Left, John Witherspoon, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans on the set of the sitcom The Wayans Bros. Witherspoon played the brothers’ father on the show, which aired from 1995 to 1999. NET PHOTOS.

If you are a 1990s child, you may probably know John Witherspoon, but we imagine you have seen a film of his or two.

He was always that black actor some said was stereocast as a father figure, from the Friday franchise featuring Chris Tucker and Ice Cube, to TV dramas such as Wayan Bros Witherspoon always cut a figure in all his films.

Witherspoon, an actor and standup comedian, died on October 29, of a heart attack, according to his death certificate.

The certificate also reported that coronary artery disease and obesity were listed as underlying causes. It also names hypertension as another significant condition, but not listed as an underlying cause.

Besides his well-documented ill health, he continuously performed to his death, in fact, he even had bookings for future performances.

Usually referred to as Pops in the films, Witherspoon was a marvel in many of these films, a scene stealer that always made you pay attention to him and at times his attire for the time he was in frame.

Legacy
Witherspoon who died at 77 years, is said to be an artist whose legacy will be one of a man that showed many comedians how to make it work or even juggling comedy and acting.

Of course Witherspoon may not have become extremely a big Hollywood star such as comedians-turned actors such as Chris Rock, Kevin Hart or Dave Chappelle, but was such a figure that many homes of African Americans easily identified with.

He was such a father figure that many fans of the films easily connected with, they connected with his persona so much that even in real life, he would assume some of these characters.

For instance, in one of his final interviews, he revealed that he had gone to do standup shows as characters from some of his films such as Pops from the Friday series or the blind man from Soul Plane.

Appreciated
Witherspoon enjoyed the limelight at a time black entertainment was getting some sort of recognition from the mainstream industry. It was thus not surprising that many people ended up mistaking him.

Many constantly thought him and singer Ronald Isley of RnB group Isley Brothers were the same person. Besides the confusion, he was appreciated for being a solid actor, over the top and crossed lines though never became a caricature.

His work quality
According to writer Rembert Browne, so many of his characters had that rough-around-the-edges quality to them, much of which seemed to be straight out of the DNA of Witherspoon.

“But there was also the matching element of humanity he was able to tap into, that made his characters extremely relatable. Yes, there was the mischief and sure, he was often a curmudgeon, but there were often love and life lessons behind those tough exteriors,” writes Browne.

He adds that like all professionals, they work for money and indeed Witherspoon loved chasing the paper, as a result, not all his works were masterpieces, some were outright bad but was the difference most of the time.

“There are films that feature him in a small role that, in my mind, he was a star of — because his parts were the only ones I remembered. And there are episodes of television in which he’d cameo, and the only way to describe that episode going forward was “The John Witherspoon episode.”

Tackling issues
For many people that love TV, Witherspoon was definitely outstanding in the adult animated sitcom The Boondocks; he was the voice of Robert Freeman, the granddad and legal guardian of Huey and Riley, the show’s two lead characters.

While he loves his two grandsons, he sometimes explodes in tirades of angry frustration over their wisecracking observations, constant schemes, and misadventures, although he has his own moments; for instance, his eagerly misguided dating pursuits unwittingly attract bizarre or dangerous women.

The show was popular for both the wrong and right reasons. Many loved its reference to both pop culture and political topics. The comic show was never afraid of cracking a joke out of R Kelly’s trial at the time or their cutting edge humour about terrorism.

Plans
In a moving speech by his Friday films co-star Ice Cube, it was revealed that there had been a plan to do a fourth film in the Friday series titled Last Friday, but the studio refused to do it even when Witherspoon was open to reprising his role.

“Laughter is the medicine for our mind, body and soul. It helps us get through this crazy world, and God bless the ones who make us laugh,” Ice Cube said.

“There was nothing you could do to harness John’s funny. It was gonna come through, no matter what you gave him. That was his true gift and we all loved John because of that. We all knew we were in the presence of greatness.”

Send-off
The open-casket celebration started off with remarks from David Letterman, who has known Witherspoon for decades since they honed their comedic chops together, along with Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and Jay Leno, at The Comedy Store in Hollywood. Others such as Shawn Wayans, Bill Bellamy also paid tribute to him.

OTHERS SAY
J.D.@jdwitherspoon
So...my Dad died today & honestly I’m not sure how to feel. I’m sad, but I’m also happy 4 all the great times we had together. We’d roast each other like homies more than Father & Son, and I really liked that. He was my best friend & my idol.
Love U Dad...I’ll miss u. - J.D

Kimberly Armstrong
@PRINZESKIM
Rest In Jesus Arms “POPS”! What a wonderful legacy you’ve left on this earth! My condolences are with the Witherspoon family & friends! I’ll make sure to “COORDINATE”!

Compiled by Andrew Kaggwa