Died after open heart surgery.
Shame- only 65.
Hasn’t he been sick for a while? The last I saw of him was on The Closer, where he was the ME in the early seasons. They had him with a limp for several eps and shot him in a wheelchair for a few before replacing him altogether, and since they never mentioned it on the show I figured the issues were personal.
Truly saddening news.
May he rest in peace.
So… The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is now the Expired Prince of Bel Air?
RIP
My son and daughter are now searching Youtube for Uncle Phil bits. They grew up on The Fresh Prince and are really sad that he has passed.
I just learned that he was the voice of Shredder on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Will Smith may have been the Prince, but Uncle Phil was KING.
Plus he was the only watchable part of the Feldman/Haim flick “License to Drive”.
He came out publicly as diabetic in 2010; I know he had foot surgery that resulted in him being in a wheelchair/using a cane for a while, but I don’t know if that issue was tied to the diabetes. It looks like his last film and TV credits were in 2012, well after the Closer appearances.
Avery was the anchor of Fresh Prince in the early seasons. It gave Will Smith the chance to learn and grow as an actor.
R.I.P. James Avery
He’s also worth seeing in this remix.
Hey man, smell ya later.
He was an excellent actor, and taught Will Smith a lot about the craft.
So long, Uncle Phil.
If it’s any consultation, it seems Avery discovered the key to unlocking wormhole technology a few hours before he died.
Looks like the turtles finally got him.
I LOVE that movie! You are dead to me! 
I saw him on a guest role on some show a year or two back, and he looked pretty awful.
RIP in Peace