Will Smith has final broken his silence about the death of his "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" co-star James Avery, better known as Uncle Phil.
Avery, 68, died of complications from open-heart surgery on Jan. 1. Smith took to his official Facebook account to remember the late actor. Smith posted a photo of the last time himself, Avery, Tatyana Ali, Alfonso Ribeiro and Karyn Parsons were all together.
"Some of my greatest lessons in Acting, Living and being a respectable human being came through James Avery. Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in Peace," Smith captioned the photo.
The actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had expressed her family's condolences to Avery's loved ones on New Years Day.
"Happy New Year everyone! I was hoping to start the new year differently but we have lost yet another friend. James Avery who we all lovingly know as Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince has passed," Jada wrote. "Our condolences to aunt Florence (his mother), Miss Barbara (his wife) and all those who loved him. Rest in peace James."
Some of Smith's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" took to their social media accounts to also remember the late actor.
"James was my teacher my protector & the most magnificent actor. We're feeling his loss very deeply. He'll always be apart of me," Ali, who played Avery's daughter Ashley on the show, posted on her Twitter account.
Ribeiro was the first to share a few words in Avery's memory to his fans on Facebook. He posted a photo of Avery and his wife Barbara with the caption:
"The world has lost a truly special man. I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed. Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed."
