Johnny Brown, an American actor, comedian, and singer best remembered for his role as Nathan Bookman, the housing project superintendent on Good Times, has died. He was 84 years old when he died.
On Friday, his daughter, actress Sharon Catherine Brown, shared the news on Instagram.
‘Johnny Brown June 11, 1937 – March 2, 2022,’ his daughter opened the post with his birth and death dates.
‘Our family is crushed,’ Sharon said in her lengthy and poignant letter. Devastated. Devastated. I’m completely heartbroken.
‘Barely able to breathe. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable.’
She asked for privacy as the family takes times to ‘process the unthinkable.’
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Brown continued, ‘It’s too terrible. It will never not be. It’s a shock. He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet. So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.’
Johnny was a musician who performed on Broadway and was a regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in addition to starring on Good Times.
The iconic entertainer grew up in Harlem, New York, and was born in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Johnny is survived by his wife of 61 years, June, their son Johnny Jr., or ‘JJ,’ a younger brother named George, and a brother-in-law named Pat, in addition to his daughter.
Brown’s professional career began after he won an amateur night at The Apollo.
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Following his victory, he performed in a nightclub performance with tap dancer Gregory Hines Jr. and percussionist Gregory Hines Sr., who would later become his wife.
Brown was a mentee of Sammy David Jr., which led to his landing a role as Ronnie in Golden Boy on Broadway.
Brown directed the drama A Man Called Adam in 1966. In 1968, he returned to Broadway to act in Sidney Poitier’s Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, which was directed by him.
In The Out of Towners, he played a train waiter, which led to a job on The Leslie Uggams Show.
Family Matters, Sister, Sister, Moonlighting, and Martin were among the late 1990s TV shows in which the veteran actor appeared.