Uncle Phil from the 90s show we all loved, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died. His name is James Avery. He also voiced Shredder on the 90s Ninja Turtles cartoon. He was only 65.
Actor James Avery, who played the beloved Uncle Phil on the hit 1990s sitcom “,” died Tuesday, his publicist confirmed. He was 65.
His “Fresh Prince” co-star Alfonso Ribeiro tweeted news of Avery’s passing.
“I’m deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away,” Riberio tweeted. “He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly.
A classically trained actor and poet, Avery grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was raised by a single mother. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and first appeared onscreen as a dancer in an uncredited role in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.”
According to IMDb, after he served in the military, Avery moved to San Diego, California, where he began writing TV scripts and poetry for PBS.
I’m a bit dismayed that a news outlet as big as CNN has to use the phrase “according to his IMDB page” but okay.