“I loved him. He was a great man,” the actor’s son, Demond Wilson Jr., said, announcing his dad’s death
Demond Wilson, the actor best known for starring in the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son, has died. He was 79.
Demond’s son, Demond Wilson Jr., confirmed to TMZ that his father died at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 30, following complications related to cancer.
“I loved him,” Demond told the outlet about his father. “He was a great man.” (He did not elaborate on what kind of cancer his dad had.)
Mark Goldman, Demond’s publicist, tells PEOPLE in a statement, “The family of Demond Wilson is deeply saddened by his passing. At this time, they ask for privacy as they grieve. No further details are available, and the family has no additional information to share.”
“Personally, I had the privilege of working with Demond for 15 years, and his loss is profoundly felt. He was an unbelievable man, and his impact will never be forgotten. The family appreciates the support and understanding of the community during this difficult time,” Goldman added.
Demond started acting in the 1970s with an uncredited role in Cotton Comes to Harlem. He then took on small roles in All in the Family, Mission: Impossible and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, before he finally got his big break in 1972, when he was cast as Lamont Sanford in Sanford and Son.
The show ran from 1972 to 1977. At the time, it was NBC’s highest-rated show, according to TV Insider. The series’ second season, in particular, was also rated television’s second most-watched show, per the outlet.
After Sanford and Son ended, Demond, born Grady Demond Wilson, went on to play Raymond Ellis on the sitcom Baby… I’m Back, which ran from 1977 to 1978.
He also guest-starred on other popular shows at the time, including The Love Boat and Today’s F.B.I.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the actor also starred in numerous films like Full Moon High, The Organization and Dealing: Or The Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues.
In 1982, Demond signed on to star as sloppy roommate Oscar Madison in the TV series The New Odd Couple.
However, the show lasted only one season, ending in 1983, and Demond then appeared to take a break from acting for a few years, later returning to the entertainment industry in the 1993 film Me and the Kid.
His next role would come nearly a decade later, playing Morgan Rivers in the film Hammerlock in 2000, and he also took part in a brief acting stint on the TV series Girlfriends from 2004 to 2005.
Demond then took another break from acting before returning one last time in what would be his final project, when he appeared in Eleanor’s Beach — a TV series that follows a woman who returns to her hometown to serve as a judge in juvenile court — in 2023, over 50 years after his first acting role.
