‘This Is Us’ Star Ron Cephas Jones Dead at 66

Emmy-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones, known for his role as William Hill on hit NBC series This Is Us, has died at the age of 66.

“Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” a representative for Jones confirmed to People on Saturday.

“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” the statement continued.

“He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”

Jones' character of William Hill was the biological father of Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) on This Is Us. He won two guest acting Emmys in 2018 and 2020 for his work on the show.

Jones, a theatre veteran with Broadway credits, told the New York Times in 2021 that he'd received a double-lung transplant in 2020 after years of suffering privately from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, then spent two months on and off a ventilator following the surgery.

He credited his passion for acting as a catalyst for helping with recovery. “My whole life has been the stage. The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death," he told the outlet.

Jones' daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, an original cast member of Hamilton, also won an Emmy in 2020, marking the first-ever father-daughter winners in the same year.