RIP Mike Evans: 1949-2006

For those of you who are fans of "The Jeffersons" you will remember Mike Evans as the 'original' Lionel Jefferson. He also starred on "All in the Family" with the same role. He died of throat cancer Thursday, December 14, at the age of 57.



I just found out that he was also a co-creator of the sitcom "Good Times", which is the role of Lionel Jefferson had to be recast. Interestingly, "Good Times" was created in the 70's, which means that Evans was in his early 20's at the time. Very impressive!

Evans had a very cool, happy-go-lucky demeanor that I really enjoyed watching come to life on screen. I was only a little girl, but I remember being pretty bummed when a "new" Lionel Jefferson appeared. Thankfully, Evans returned to his role as Lionel Jefferson for the last few seasons. Unfortunately, "The Jeffersons" had begun to lose it's flavor by then and even Evans was unable to season it much.

He and his talent will definitely be missed.

Source:[CNN.com]