Yesterday we found out that one of my favorite childhood actors James Avery, who played the beloved Uncle Phil on the hit 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” died at age 68.
The cause of death was complications from open-heart surgery, said his manager, Toni Benson. Avery had surgery on November 11 and died new years night at a hospital in Glendale, California, according to Benson.
“Fresh Prince” co-star Joseph Marcell, who played the family butler Geoffrey, told CNN that Avery was “a marvelous man and a truly wonderful actor.”

Avery played attorney Philip Banks, the stern but loving uncle to Will Smith’s character on the show. Marcell said,

“He strove to present an Uncle Phil that everybody wishes was their uncle!”

Actor Alfonso Ribeiro who played Avery’s on screen son Carlton Banks is also mourning the loss of his “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” co-star. Riberto took to Twitter with these tweets,

“deeply saddened” by Avery’s death and Aery was “a second father to me.”

Apart from his six seasons on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” James Avery was also know for his role on the TV series “The Closer,” as well as his guest appearances on shows such as “That ’70s Show” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” He also had roles in a number of films, including “Dr. Dolittle 2” and “Who’s’ Your Caddy?”

So sad. Let’s keep Avery’s family onscreen and off in our thoughts and prayers!