Will Smith ‘DEVASTATED’ Over Uncle Phil’s Death

THECOUNT.COM "ALWAYS OPEN! Since 2005!" - January 1, 2014

Will Smith says he has been left shocked and devastated over the sudden death of his The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery.james-avery-fresh-prince-of-bel-air_1265121326

Avery died in an L.A. hospital last night, after recently undergoing surgery for an undisclosed illness.

Smith was working in Dubai when he found out the news by phone.

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“Will was ringing in the New Year with his family when an associate told him the news,” a source said.

“Working with James was a big part of his life.. in fact, James was something of a father figure to Will.

“He’s devastated by the death.. James will be sorely missed.”

Avery played Will’s uncle, Philip Banks, in the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

James’ character  was ranked #34 in TV Guide’s “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.

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  • Cassius2k

    If you are going to bring anything to the conversation at least check your spelling.

  • Burbus Kattan

    The notion about him being gay comes from folks always confusing James Avery (who was not gay) for Reginald Vel Johnson (who was Family Matters and played Carl Winslow) who is still alive and apparently is gay. They were both black sitcom dads in the 90s, but they are two different people entirely. No reason to believe James Avery was gay.

  • driko

    you want him to be gay,don’t ya?…what difference does it make if he was gay or not

  • katsuki

    How does that make him look like a took!? 0_o. You look like a complete tool.. read what he wrote before you call people names.. he didn’t imply anything with his comment..

  • Cassius2k

    He died from complications of open heart surgery. Read about stuff before you open your mouth and make yourself look like a complete tool. Being a tea boy doesn’t constitute working in the medical field.

  • Irvin

    Excuse me, but him having a wife doesn’t really answer the question of him being gay. As someone who work in the medical field, I see alot of married gay men who come in for std testing. #1 reason why HIV is still on the rise.

  • afeaceawedasefawecqwe

    Nope. He has a wife.

  • SiloCross

    I am wondering was James gay? Just wondering!

  • Jimbo

    Also Mr. Smith you will recover you are the one left behind . bless u sir and ur family.

  • Jimbo

    RIP James I like ur acting a lot :)

  • Tanner

    RIP James. Thoughts and prayers goes out to his friends and family. He was a good actor and a good man and will be missed