Actor Ron Cephas Jones Dies
Beloved character actor Ron Cephas Jones has died at 66.
A representative for the Emmy Award-winner told PEOPLE in a statement that Jones died "due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.”
“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” the statement reads. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”
“Ron’s inner beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award-winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones.”
Jones won two Emmys for his portrayal of Randall Peterson's (Sterling K. Brown) biological father William Hill on This Is Us. He picked up the golden statues in 2018 and 2020 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a drama series.
His daughter, Jasmine, won an Emmy in 2020 for outstanding actress in a short-form comedy or drama series for her work on Quibi's “#FreeRayshawn.” The honor made them the first father-daughter duo to win Emmy awards in the same year.
Brown, who played Jones’ on-screen son, saluted him on Instagram: "Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us. @cephasjaz has passed away, and the world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I’ll see you when I get there."
Other former co-stars, including Octavia Spencer, who starred with Jones in Apple TV+'s Truth Be Told, also saluted him on social media.
According to PEOPLE, Jones revealed to The New York Times in 2021 that he privately battled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and received a double lung transplant at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2020, where he was a patient for almost two months.
A native of Paterson, N.J., Jones began his career on the stage as a member of New York's Off-Broadway LAByrinth Theater Company.
In addition to “This Is Us,” some of his notable television and film credits include: He Got Game (1998), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Across the Universe (2007), The Get Down (2016-2017), “Luke Cage” (2016-2018), “Looking For Alaska” (2019) and “Truth Be Told” (2019-2023).
