James Avery passed away yesterday at the age of 65. His Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star,
Alfonso Ribeiro, broke the sad news on Twitter by saying, “I’m deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly.” It was the role of Phillip Banks that made him a household name and gave him a special place in our hearts. But this is only one of the many roles we will remember his boisterous voice for, I say that because he was the voice of Shredder on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and many other cartoons like Iron Man and Aladdin. It was that vocal deepness and his powerful look that throughout his 30+ year career he played a judge, doctor and reverend on several TV shows like Amen and LA Law and in many movies.
So today let’s honor him with a laugh and watch at least one of his many funny episodes of Fresh Prince.
