Demond Wilson, the actor finest identified for portraying Lamont Sanford on the long-lasting sitcom Sanford and Son, has died.

The actor's publicist, Mark Goldman, confirmed that Wilson died on Friday at 79 in an announcement to Leisure Weekly.

"The household of Demond Wilson is deeply saddened by his passing," Goldman wrote. "Right now, they ask for privateness as they grieve. No additional particulars can be found, and the household has no further data to share."

He continued, "I had the privilege of working with Demond for 15 years, and his loss is profoundly felt. He was an unbelievable man, and his affect won’t ever be forgotten. The household appreciates the assist and understanding of the group throughout this tough time."

Born in Grady Demond Wilson in Valdosta, Ga., in 1946, the actor moved to New York Metropolis in his youth and studied faucet dancing and ballet. He served within the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Military in the course of the Vietnam Conflict from 1966 to 1968.

After working in a number of theatrical productions in New York upon his return to the States, Wilson made his display screen debut in an uncredited position within the 1970 movie Cotton Involves Harlem, which starred Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, and Redd Foxx. His TV debut got here in a 1971 episode of All within the Household, by which he performed one half of a burglar duo alongside Cleavon Little.

Wilson performed small roles within the 1971 Sidney Poitier movie The Group and the 1972 Michael Crichton adaptation Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Misplaced-Bag Blues. He additionally appeared in an episode of Mission: Not possible and an ep of Rowan & Martin's Snort-In within the early Nineteen Seventies.

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The actor's breakout position got here in 1972 with Sanford and Son. The sitcom solid Wilson as Lamont, the straight man and son to Foxx's irascible Fred G. Sanford, who continuously clashed with him for maximal comedic impact on display screen. The present ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1977 on NBC. Sanford maintained immense reputation regardless of airing on Friday nights, and is taken into account one of the vital influential sitcoms of the Nineteen Seventies.

Following Sanford's cancellation in 1977, Wilson headlined the short-lived CBS sitcom Child… I'm Again, which lasted only one season in 1978. He appeared on a number of episodes of The Love Boat and an ep of At present's FBI earlier than touchdown his subsequent lead position, enjoying Oscar Madison on The New Odd Couple. That collection, which additionally starred Ron Glass, aired for only one season on ABC from 1982 to 1983.

Wilson virtually died from a ruptured appendix when he was 12, and vowed to dedicate his life to Christian ministry within the midst of that early well being disaster. He adopted by way of on his dedication within the Nineteen Eighties when he stepped again from leisure to grow to be an ordained minister within the Church of God in Christ. He helped discovered Restoration Home of America, a corporation dedicated to rehabilitating former jail inmates, in 1995.

The actor later wrote the guide The New Age Millennium: An Exposé of Symbols, Slogans and Hidden Agendas in 1998, in addition to quite a few kids's books. His launched his autobiography, Second Banana: The Bitter Candy Memoirs of the Sanford and Son Years, in 2009.

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Wilson often acted later in his profession, showing within the 1993 Danny Aiello dramedy Me and the Child and the 2000 Pat Morita comedy Hammerlock. He additionally guest-starred on 4 episodes of UPN's Girlfriends, showing because the organic father of Lynn Ann Searcy (Persia White).

Wilson is survived by his spouse, Cicely Johnston; his six kids, Christopher, Nicole, Melissa, Sarah, Tabatha, and Demond Jr.; and his two grandchildren.

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