How did Ron Cephas Jones die? Cause of death and all you need to know as This is Us actor dies aged 66

American actor Ron Cephas Jones, who is best known for starring in This is Us as William Hill, passed away at the age of 66. The news was confirmed via his rep to media outlet People Magazine, which revealed that the Emmy-winning actor died of "a long-standing pulmonary issue."

The lengthy statement further read:

“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. 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.”

The statement further shared that Jones is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones before adding:

“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award-winning performance on This is Us.”

His This is Us co-stars Sterling K Brown and Mandy Moore also took to their Instagram handles to pay tribute to the deceased actor. Sharing a still from their series, where the duo can be seen sitting in a car, Brown said that the "world is a little less bright" as "one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us."

Moore, on the other hand, shared a picture of herself with Ron Cephas Jones and wrote a lengthy caption, stating:

"he was pure magic as a human and an artist…I will treasure all of the moments forever."

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Ron Cephas Jones had a double lung transplant due to his chronic illness

While speaking to The New York Times in 2021, Ron Cephas Jones, who has smoked all his life, revealed that the year before, he received a double lung transplant because of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The star was on and off a ventilator for two months while he learned to eat and breathe again. He said that he didn't want to have the surgery at first because he might have to use a breathing tank for the rest of his career. At the time, he said:

“I was in total denial. I told myself that it would pass, or that I was just getting older. I was afraid and didn’t want to change what I wasn’t ready to change. The idea of not performing again seemed worse to me than death."

In 2018 and 2020, he won Emmys for his role as the biological father of Sterling K. Brown's character, Randall Pearson, in NBC's This is Us. The deceased actor's character was a rehabilitated drug addict and musician who fought stomach cancer and ultimately succumbed to it.

Ron Cephas Jones had a lengthy career in film and television, appearing in such blockbusters as Mr. Robot, Dog Days, Luke Cage, Dolemite Is My Name, and Law & Order: Organized Crime, among others.

Jasmine Cephas Jones, his daughter, is also an actor who has won an Emmy. In 2020, they will win Emmys at the same time, making them the first father-daughter team to do so.