Over the weekend, Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones died at age 66 after dealing with health issues in recent years. Jones’ representative confirmed the news to Variety and expressed grief on behalf of the actor’s family.
“Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” the representative told Variety. “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. 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.”
Jones is best known for playing as William Hill on the NBC show This Is Us. Speaking to variety in May 2022, Jones raved about the energy he feels from the show.
“At the end, the caboose, which signifies the end, it’s when William is right there. And he has this beautiful little monologue where you see William’s face light up with this idea that the end is sort of the beginning,” the actor told Variety. “And that’s kind of what the monologue is about, just that endings can be beautiful. If you accept them for what they are, they’re not always sad, they can be very beautiful. It’s these little pieces of him throughout the episode, where you feel so much of William without him saying much. It was all very visual and beautiful, almost like a silent movie, in some ways.”
The 66-year-old entertainer had many other notable roles in TV. In the Apple + series Truth Be Told, Jones played as Poppy’s father Lukather “Shreve” Scoville. He also appeared in Law & Order: Organized Crime, Looking for Alaska, The Get Down and Mr. Robot.
Actor Sterling K. Brown, Jones’ co-star on This Is Us, posted a tribute to his colleague on Instagram after hearing the somber news.
“Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us,” Brown wrote. “[Jones] 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.”
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In 2021, Jones told the New York Times that he has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and he has received a double lung transplant. The actor said he stayed at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for almost two months in 2020. After the surgery, Jones said he had to re-learn how to breathe, eat and walk.
The beloved This Is Us star earned an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in 2018 and 2020. His daughter Jasmine also earned her first Emmy in 2020 for outstanding performance in a short form comedy or drama series. Jasmine and Jones became the first father-daughter duo to get an Emmys in the same year.
