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John Beasley, the actor best known for his work in the TV shows “The Soul Man” and “Everwood”, as well as a long string of memorable film roles, has died. He was 79.
The veteran character actor’s son, Mike Beasley, confirmed the news on Tuesday with a heartbreaking post on Facebook, paying tribute to his late father.
“Man…you know this is a part of life…but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Mike wrote. “I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes because they don’t turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father.”
“Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more,” he added, alongside a photo of himself with his arm around his smiling father’s shoulders.
John’s other son Tyrone told The Hollywood Reporter that he’d been undergoing tests for his liver when he took a turn for the worst.
John was born June 26, 1943, in Omaha, Nebraska, and began to pursue his passion for acting when he was in his 40s. He got his first acting credit in 1989, and began working regularly in film and TV from then on.
His biggest role came playing Irv Harper on the TV family drama Everwood, beginning in 2002. He also had a major role in Cedric the Entertainer’s sitcom series The Soul Man, which ran from 2012 to 2016.
Additional film roles include “Sinister”, “The Sum of All Fears”, “The General’s Daughter”, “Walking Tall”, “The Mighty Ducks”, and, most recently, “Firestarter”, among many others. Other TV projects include “CSI”, “The Lost Room”, “NCIS”, “Boston Legal”, “CSI: Miami”, “Treme”, and “The Mandalorian”, to name just a few.
John is survived by his sons Mike and Tyrone Beasely, his wife of 58 years, Judy, and six grandchildren.
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