Actor Demond Wilson, best known for his role as Lamont Sanford in the television show, Sanford and Son, has passed away due to cancer. He was 79.
Wilson’s son, Demond Wilson Jr. confirmed to TMZ his father “was pronounced dead Friday morning,” and that he “passed away from complications related to cancer”
Wilson’s son described his father as being a “great man.”
Wilson, whose full name was Grady Demond Wilson, also played Raymond Ellis on Baby… I’m Back! and Oscar Madison on The New Odd Couple, according to the outlet.
Several people took to social media to express their sadness at the news of Wilson’s death, describing Wilson as a “great actor.” Others thanked Wilson for “sharing” his gift with the world.
“Damn,” one person wrote in a post on X. “Great actor. One of the best shows of all time.”
“Sanford And Son was one of the funniest shows ever,” another person wrote. “RIP Demond Wilson. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.”
“Noooo… So under-appreciated,” Breitbart News’s John Nolte wrote in a post on X.
“One of the all-time great straight men, proven by the fact that the great Redd Foxx was never able to repeat sitcoms success without him.”
“2026 is pissing me off….” another person wrote.
“The family of Demond Wilson is deeply saddened by his passing,” Mark Goldman, who is Demond’s publicist, told PEOPLE, adding that Wilson’s family was asking “for privacy as the grieve.”
Goldman described Wilson as being an “unbelievable man” whose impact “will never be forgotten.”