‘The Soul Man’ star John Beasley passes away at age 79

The Soul Man star John Beasley passed away onTuesday at the age of 79.

The actor died in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska in a hospital, via The Hollywood Reporter. His son, Tyrone Beasley told the press that his father had been “undergoing tests on his liver” before things took a turn for the worse. His other son, Mike Beasley, shared a heartfelt message on Facebook, thanking his father for being a “hero” and that he hopes to make him proud.

“Man…you know this is a part of life…but that doesn’t make it any easier. I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes because they don’t turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father. Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more.”

According to KETV Omaha, Beasley worked for the Union Pacific Railroad before he started his acting career in 1989 at age 40. His first role was in the film Rapid Fire. Since then, he starred in numerous projects, such as Everwood’s Irv Harper, The Purge: Anarchy‘s Papa Rico, and The Soul Man’s Bartone Ballentine. He also appeared in shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Your Honor, The Mandalorian, and NCIS. Beasley’s last acting role was in the 2022 film, It Snows All the Time, in which he played Mr. Stewart.

Aside from his acting career, Beasley founded the John Beasley Theater & Workshop in his hometown back in 2002, to help promote live theater and works that were written and featured by African Americans. He also told KETV about his passion to help a new generation of talent and his time as a mentor at Night Fox Entertainment.

Beasley will be leaving behind his wife to whom he’s been married for 58 years, his children, and grandchildren, one of whom is Malik Beasley, an NBA Veteran who played for the Los Angeles Lakers.