Keith Jefferson, an actor who appeared in the Quentin Tarantino films Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, has died at the age of 53.
Jefferson died Oct 5, his publicist Nicole St John confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The news comes nearly two months after Jefferson announced he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Every now and then God will give you a challenge and leave it up to you to fix it,” he wrote on Instagram on Aug 9, alongside a photo of himself in the hospital.
“When I was first diagnosed with cancer I had to stop, pause, and didn’t want to share with anyone. Not my family nor extended family. Today, I’m finally at a place to share because my faith is getting stronger. I have a loving family and the best friends in the entire world.”
Jefferson was a longtime close friend of Jamie Foxx, who starred as the lead role in Django. The Oscar winner took to social media to mourn the loss of his friend.
“Everything hurts right now,” he captioned a photo of the two posing in front of an airplane.
“Having a hard time looking through these pictures, reliving the memories of us having a great time. Going to miss you man, gonna miss you.”
Foxx, who has undergone his own recent health complications recently, continued: “Since we met back in college, you have been an incredible soul. God rest. Never thought I would have to see the words about my friend.”
According to Jefferson’s website, he was a personal acting coach who earned a BFA in musical theater from United States International University in San Diego, where he met Foxx, as well as an MFA in acting from the University of Arizona.
He made his onscreen debut in 1995’s Boys on the Side. Other credits include The Jamie Foxx Show, Buffalo Soldiers and The Fantastiks.
The veteran actor’s most recent work includes the Foxx-fronted legal drama The Burial, which will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Oct 13. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
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