“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star James Avery, who played Uncle Phil on Will Smith’s early nineties sitcom, died on New Year’s Eve at 68.
Avery died from complications after heart surgery, TMZ reports.
Alfonso Ribiero, who played his son Carlton Banks, wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday:
The world has lost a truly special man. I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed. Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed.