Legendary American actor Sherman Hemsley, best known for his roles as “George Jefferson” on 70s sitcom The Jeffersons and as “Deacon Earnest Frye” on 80s hit Amen, died last month from superior vena cava syndrome, a rare condition caused by the 74-year-old’s lung cancer.
According to The Huffington Post, the syndrome occurs when the superior vena cava, the second-largest vein in the body and the one responsible for returning blood to the heart, becomes obstructed.
Hemsley, a Golden Globe nominee, was widely revered for his George Jefferson character and for the milestones achieved by The Jeffersons, including being the first prime-time show to feature an upwardly-mobile Black couple and the first major sitcom to cast an interracial couple.
Hemsley passed away at his El Paso, Tex., home on July 24.
