This is a sad day for the culture. Demond Wilson, best known for portraying Lamont Sanford on the classic television series Sanford and Son, has died at the age of 79.
Wilson was pronounced dead on Friday, Jan. 30, at his home in Palm Springs, California, according to his son, who spoke with TMZ who first reported on his passing.
Remembering his father, he said, “I loved him. He was a great man.” The outlet reported that Wilson passed away due to complications related to cancer, though no additional details about the diagnosis were shared.
Rising to fame during the 1970s, Wilson became a household name alongside comedian Redd Foxx on Sanford and Son, one of NBC’s most successful sitcoms of the era. Foxx starred as Fred G. Sanford, a blunt and outspoken junk dealer, while Wilson played his son Lamont, whose calm demeanor often balanced his father’s chaos.
Born in 1946 in Valdosta, Georgia, Wilson was raised in New York City, where his early passion for the arts took shape. He trained in tap dance and ballet and made his Broadway debut at just four years old. By age 12, he was already performing at Harlem’s Apollo Theater.
Before finding success in television, Wilson served in the United States Army and was deployed to Vietnam. After returning home following an injury, he resumed his acting career on Broadway and off Broadway, eventually transitioning to film and television.
Following Sanford and Son, Wilson took on the role of Oscar Madison in ABC’s The New Odd Couple, a reimagining of the original series with a predominantly African-American cast. Though short-lived due to a writers’ strike, the show marked another notable chapter in his career. Wilson later appeared in the 1993 film Me and the Kid.
His legacy remains closely tied to a golden era of television and a character that continues to resonate with audiences decades later.