The comedian’s famous friends remembered him with both laughs and tears.
The world lost one the funniest men in showbusiness last week after John Witherspoon passed away at the age 77 following a cardiac arrest. He starred in film and television series’ including Friday, House Party, Hollywood Shuffle, I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, I Got the Hook-Up, I Got the Hook-Up 2, The Meteor Man, Bulworth, The Richard Pryor Show, 227, Good Times, The Tracy Morgan Show, and The Boondocks. Working until the end, Witherspoon had an online cooking series and was gearing up for another season The Boondocks as well yet another Friday film when his life ended.
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Hollywood’s elite came out to honor Witherspoon at his “Celebration Life” service on Tuesday. Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, David Letterman, George Wallace, and Bill Bellamy all spoke at the service, and although Regina King, who voices characters on The Boondocks, couldn’t make it, she sent a video that was played for attendees.
“Laughter is the medicine for our mind, body, and soul,” Ice Cube said. “It helps us get through this crazy world, and God bless the ones that make us laugh. John was naturally funny. No matter how bad a script was, there] was nothing you could do to harness John’s funny. It was going to come through. He was going to turn it into magic and that was his true gift.”
Unfortunately, Marlon Wayans, who starred alongside Witherspoon on the long-running hit series The Wayans Bros., wasn’t able to attend the funeral. “I’m glad every time we said goodbye it was always with a fatherly hug and kiss,” Marlon shared on social media. “So that’s the goodbye I’ll leave it with. #ripPOPS @johnnywitherspoon playing some Johnny Mathis ‘chances are’ in your honour.”