Grady Demond Wilson, who starred on the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son under the stage name Demond Wilson, is dead at 79.
Demond Wilson Jr., the actor’s son, told TMZ that his father died of cancer-related complications and was pronounced dead at his home in Palm Springs, California, on Friday, January 30.
“I loved him,” Demond Jr. added. “He was a great man.”
Grady was one of two leads of Sanford and Son, playing Lamont Sanford, the long-suffering son of cantankerous junk dealer Fred G. Sanford (Redd Foxx). An American adaptation of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son, Sanford and Son aired six seasons on NBC between 1972 and 1977 and ranked as the network’s highest-rated show and television’s second most-watched show in its second season.
After Sanford and Son, Grady returned to TV in 1978 as the star of the short-lived CBS sitcom Baby… I’m Back!, playing a father who tries to reconnect with his family after a years-long absence. And in 1982, he joined Ron Glass in ABC’s The New Odd Couple, taking on the role of the sloppy roommate Oscar Madison.
Grady’s other TV roles included guest-starring parts on Mission: Impossible, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, and The Love Boat.
In 1984, Grady became an ordained minister, according to The Beachcomber, although he told the magazine in a 2014 interview that he wasn’t leaving showbiz completely. “I just devoted most of my time to His service,” he said. “It was a calling. There’s a difference between having a vocation and having a calling. ‘Many are called and few are chosen. Some are sent, some just went.’”
Later in his career, Grady had a recurring role on the comedy-drama series Girlfriends from 2004 to 2005, and he ended a nearly two-decade screen hiatus in 2023 with a role in the streaming series Eleanor’s Bench.
On social media, fans mourned Grady’s death. “Sanford and Son was one of the funniest shows ever. RIP Demond Wilson. Thank you for sharing your gift with us,” one X user wrote.
“Sanford and Son was before my time but through syndication became one of my favorite sitcoms ever. Demond Wilson was the only [remaining] main cast member left,” another person posted, referencing Foxx’s 1991 death at age 68. “Now they are all reunited. Rest easy.”
A third X user wrote, “The world of entertainment has lost another light! We speak your name #DemondWilson. May you rest in peace and power!”
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