R.I.P. John Witherspoon

Written by Jasmine

John Witherspoon (born Weatherspoon) was born on January 27, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan (he was an Aquarius, shout out! ♒) and he’s been making us laugh ever since.

The comedy mogul got his start in stand up in the late 1970’s, something he loved doing and continued to do until his death. Witherspoon got his feature debut in the 1980 film, The Jazz Singer, playing the character, M.C.

He then went on to star in more than 30 other hit films! Some of these include Boomerang, Vampire in Brooklyn, I Got The Hook-Up, Soul Plane and The Five Heartbeats. His most popular role however by far had to be the character Willie Jones, Craig’s (Ice Cube) grumpy but wise father on the iconic Friday series.

Witherspoon was also known for his recurring TV roles in shows like, The Wayans Bros., The Tracy Morgan Show and, his most recognizable voice role of “Granddad” on The Boondocks.

Sadly, this morning we lost the great treasure that is John Witherspoon. He died suddenly in his home at the age of 77. It seems the world of comedy will never be the same. Rest in Paradise. ??