Lenny Kravitz and Questlove have paid tribute to late actor Hal Williams following his death on Wednesday.
Williams, who was best known for TV shows including Sanford and Son, 227 and The Waltons, passed away at his home in Rancho Mirage, California on 15 July, at the age of 91.
Paying tribute on Instagram, Kravitz shared his memories of Williams and reflected on the actor’s friendship with his late mother, The Jeffersons actress Roxie Roker.
“Not only a legendary actor, a beautiful loving soul that treated me with the love of a father. Our first meeting was a play called Bakers Dream where you actually played my father and we became family,” he wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of him kissing Williams on the cheek.
“As we grew closer you became like a brother to my mother and you fulfilled that role by becoming involved in my life. You often picked me up from school where I would then do my homework at your apartment,” he continued. “You treated me as an equal and shared knowledge and wisdom. I’m so blessed that we reunited in the last few years and shared more time together. You will be greatly missed. Kiss my mama for me…..”
Elsewhere, The Roots musician Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson remembered Williams, who played his father in a 2015 episode of Parks and Recreation, as “the nicest cat ever” and wished him a “peaceful journey”.
He described Williams as “the most ideal tv dad” he knew of growing up, noting that he played “regular people” instead of racial stereotypes.
“Lester Jenkins on 227 wasn’t carrying the weight of the whole race on his back – he was just a man who went to work & loved his wife & put up with his daughter. He wasn’t an over the top overachiever, he wasn’t a slacker – he was a rarity – those archetypes were RARELY seen (across all spectrums),” he added.
Meanwhile, Williams’s 227 co-star Jackée Harry called him “a gentleman” who “always carried himself with grace”, and actress Holly Robinson Peete dubbed him “one of the greats…a true television legend, but an even greater human being”, noting that he was friends with her mother, Dolores Robinson, for 50 years.
Williams, who also starred in the 1980 movie Private Benjamin, died of natural causes. He is survived by his three children.
