Actor and comedian John Witherspoon was laid to rest on Tuesday (Nov. 5) at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Many of Witherspoon’s friends were in attendance to celebrate the life of the comedic icon. Cedric The Entertainer, Shawn Wayans, George Wallace, Bill Bellamy, David Letterman and Ice Cube spoke at the open casket funeral.
Fans were looking forward to seeing Witherspoon in another Friday movie and hearing his voice for the Grandpa character on The Boondocks. Ice Cube resented not getting another Friday movie out before Witherspoon’s untimely passing.
“I really apologize to my friend for not getting the next Friday movie made,” Ice Cube told attendees. “It’s not my fault. It’s some dumb a** people in Hollywood at New Line Cinema if you wanna…We were trying to get that movie done for years and we couldn’t get it done.”
Shawn Wayans talked about how Witherspoon joined the cast of The Wayan Bros. and how originally the show was supposed to be on NBC.
Shawn and Marlon Wayans insisted that Witherspoon play the role of their father on the sitcom, but NBC couldn’t see the vision and preferred Danny Glover as the father. Ultimately, the network passed on the show.
“Luckily, for us, Warner Bros., WB Started a network and needed a flagship show and our show was the show that kicked off…,” Wayans said.
Other friends in attendance included director/actor Robert Townsend, politician Maxine Waters and The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder.
The ceremony was filled with bittersweet laughter as Witherspoon’s colleagues reflected on his journey in Hollywood and his impact on the culture. His family and friends affectionately referred to him as “Spoon” throughout the memorial. Opening remarks were made by longtime friend Letterman.
Witherspoon passed at the age of 77 from cardiac arrest.
The MouthSoap sends condolences to his fans, family and friends.
