Friends and family are saying goodbye to Houston actor, Keith Jefferson, who died last week after a long illness. The actor best known for his roles in “Django Unchained,” “The Hateful Eight” and “Day Shift,” was 53.
Born April 7, 1970, Jefferson grew up in Acres Homes and graduated from Eisenhower High School before making his way to Los Angeles, where he worked in music and appeared in numerous television shows. His latest appearance was in “The Burial’ starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
“He’s an incredible soul and dear friend,” Foxx, who became friends with Jefferson in college, said in paying tribute to Jefferson. ““This one hurts. Keith, you’ve been nothing but absolute grace your whole life. Your heart is pure, your love is immeasurable, you were an amazing soul. We will all miss you dearly. It’s gonna take a long time for this to heal. Goodbye, my friend. I love you.”
Jefferson also appeared in several projects starring Foxx, including “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Django Unchained,” “Day Shift” and Foxx’s Netflix series “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!”
Jefferson, who had been open about his cancer diagnosis on social media two months ago, died “surrounded by his family and close friends,” his agent Nicole St. John said, adding that he was “well cared for” at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center.
In an Aug. 9 Instagram post, Jefferson wrote, “I have a loving family and the best friends in the entire world,” Jefferson wrote. “From my Mom to J Foxx and everybody in between. I love you whole heartedly.”
