Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy-Winning ‘This Is Us’ Star, Dies At 66

Ron Cephas Jones, the actor best known for his role on the NBC drama This is Us, has died at the age of 66.

A spokesperson for Jones stated that he died after a battle with a “long-standing pulmonary issue.”

“Ron’s inner beauty and soul were evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy-award-winning performance on This is Us,” they continued. “He was sweeter and deeper and greater even than any role he ever played. I’m so grateful to have been a part of his life.”

In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Jones shared that he had a double lung transplant procedure performed the previous year after developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Afterward, he spent two months at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles to relearn how to breathe, walk and eat.

Jones also mentioned that the cast and crew of This Is Us had supported him the whole way through his health struggles.

On the show, Jones played William Hill, the biological father of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). His starring performance earned him two Emmys for Oustanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2020. His daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, also won an Emmy in 2020 for her role in the Quibi series #FreeRayshawn. They made awards history as the first father-daughter pair to win Emmys in the same year.

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Jones also had roles as Bobby Fish in the Marvel series Luke Cage and Romero in Mr. Robot as well as several appearances on Law & Order: Organized Crime, The Blacklist and NYPD Blue.

Below are a couple of social media reactions to Jones’ death: