At the age of 66, Ron Cephas Jones, a seasoned stage performer who won praise for his depiction of a forgiving father on NBC’s renowned series “This Is Us,” passed suddenly.
Jones’ agent, Kaitlyn Horton, revealed that the actor passed away on Saturday night as a result of a chronic lung condition.
“His compassion, grace, magnanimity, benevolence, and spirit resonated with all who had the privilege of crossing paths with him,” it was stated in an official statement. To the huge ‘This Is Us’ audience, Ron’s inner grandeur and spirit served as proof.
Jones had a double lung transplant in 2020 as a result of his struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. An extended hospital stay in Los Angeles was required due to this health issue. Jones played William “Shakespeare” Hill on “This Is Us,” a biological father whose life is improved by his relationships with the family of his son Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown.
Sterling K. Brown sent a message on Instagram after Jones passed away, saying, “The loss of one of the most wonderful people the world has been honored with. The brightness of the world has decreased. You are loved, Ron. Your absence will be felt very much. Due to the show’s time-jumping narrative framework, which allowed for characters to live on even after their on-screen deaths, Jones played a crucial role in the series’ early seasons but was felt in some way throughout the show’s six-season existence.
Jones received two more nominations in addition to two Emmy Awards for his outstanding guest roles in drama series in 2018 and 2020. On the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman declared that Ron “epitomized the pinnacle of excellence—on screen, on stage, and in reality.” Remarkable as an actor, continued Fogelman. Because every single moment he provided was excellent, I can’t think of a single instance where I edited his performance. Both before and after his role in “This Is Us,” Jones devoted a sizable portion of his career to the theater. Even after having a lung transplant, which required him to learn how to breathe and walk again.
Late in 2021, Jones disclosed that he has been dealing with respiratory issues covertly ever before “This Is Us” premiered in an honest interview with The New York Times. “The thought of never gracing the stage again was more terrifying to me than death,” he admitted.
Jones received both a nomination for a Drama Desk Award and a win for his performance as a truck stop chef in Lynn Nottage’s “Clyde’s” in 2022. Jones, who was raised in Paterson, New Jersey, graduated from a nearby college. He had originally intended to major in jazz, but by his sophomore year he had switched to theater. After that, he traveled the country in the late 1970s and early 1980s while also worked as a bus driver in Southern California for a while.
Jones moved to New York in the middle of the 1980s, when his career took off after he started frequenting and working at the Nuyorican Poets Café, a significant center for poetry, hip-hop, and performing arts.