![Actor Keith Jefferson, photographed at the LA premiere of "The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2" in 2021, has died following a battle with cancer.](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/10/06/USAT/71083992007-keith-jefferson-getty-images-1322422713.jpeg?width=300&height=418&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Keith Jefferson, an actor finest identified for his roles in “Django Unchained,” “The Hateful Eight” and “Day Shift,” has died at 53, his agent, Nicole St. John, confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
Jefferson, who had opened up about his most cancers prognosis on social media two months in the past, died “surrounded by his household and shut buddies,” St. John mentioned, including that he was “properly cared for” at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Middle.
“He was an amazing expertise and it’s a profound loss to the creative group,” St. John mentioned in an announcement to USA TODAY. “He had a number of initiatives within the pipeline and was within the midst of a mission that captured his distinctive and resonant voice. He had been wanting ahead to returning within the new 12 months.”
Jamie Foxx mourns Keith Jefferson: ‘This one hurts’
Buddy and frequent collaborator Jamie Foxx, 55, broke the information Thursday on Instagram and mirrored on the pair’s decades-long friendship whereas honoring the actor. Foxx mentioned he and Jefferson met in school.
Jefferson additionally appeared in a number of initiatives starring Foxx, together with his eponymous WB comedy, “The Jamie Foxx Present,” “Django Unchained,” “Day Shift,” Foxx’s Netflix sequence “Dad Cease Embarrassing Me!” and “The Burial,” a drama costarring Tommy Lee Jones, debuting on Amazon’s Prime Video Oct. 13.
Jefferson had acknowledged Foxx as a supply of help throughout his most cancers battle in an Aug. 9 Instagram publish. “I’ve a loving household and one of the best buddies in the whole world,” Jefferson wrote. “From my Mother to J Foxx and everyone in between. I like you complete heartedly.”
“This one hurts,” a grieving Foxx wrote on the social media web site Thursday. “Keith, you’ve been nothing however absolute grace, your complete life your coronary heart is pure your love is immeasurable you have been a tremendous soul. We’ll all miss you dearly. It’s gonna take a very long time for this to heal. Goodbye, my pal. I like you.”
Foxx rapidly adopted up with one other publish memorializing the actor. “Every part hurts proper now,” Foxx captioned a photograph of the 2 embracing on the steps of a aircraft, “having a tough time wanting by these photos reliving the recollections of us having a good time going to overlook you man gonna miss you…
“Each since we met again in school, you might have been in unimaginable soul,” Foxx added, “God relaxation, NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO SEE THE WORDS ABOUT MY FRIEND RIP…Keith.”
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‘The Burial’ was one in every of Keith Jefferson’s remaining movies
Following “Django Unchained” in 2012, Jefferson appeared in two further Tarantino photos, “The Hateful Eight” (2015) and “As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019). Final 12 months, Jefferson appeared within the TV Film “Hip Hop Household Christmas Wedding ceremony,” which Foxx government produced.
IMDb lists “The Burial” as one in every of Jefferson’s remaining performing roles, one for which he appeared extremely excited. “It’s lastly right here and what a blessing it was to work on this movie with a tremendous group of actors,” Jefferson wrote when sharing a trailer to Instagram on Sept. 7. “Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones together with an all star forged and my most vital position thus far.”
Jefferson shared perception into his performing inspiration whereas paying tribute to Angela Lansbury, following her demise final October. The 2 labored collectively on the 2001 TV Film “Homicide, She Wrote: The Final Free Man.”
“I all the time say that Danny Glover (is) the one who acquired me all in favour of performing for movie and Angela Lansbury was the one who acquired me all in favour of theater at an early age once I noticed her efficiency as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd on Broadway,” Jefferson wrote on Instagram. “A real triple menace who will go down as one of many biggest Entertainers of all time. Thanks and you’ll all the time be cherished in my eyes.”
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
Her son died, and she or he felt alone.In her grief, she discovered YouTube.