'The Soul Man' Actor John Beasley Dead at 79

John Beasley, a beloved character actor, has passed away, his son Tyrone Beasley has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 79.

According to the publication, Beasley was undergoing testing on his liver when he took "an unexpected turn for the worst" in a hospital in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Beasley got his acting career started late in life, after working as a railroad man with the Union Pacific Railroad. He was 45 when he shifted gears, and his second role ever was as Mr. Willie on the Oprah Winfrey-led Brewster Place.

He was also featured in Rudy, The Apostle, The Mighty Ducks, the recent remake of Firestarter, The WB's Everwood and TV Land's The Soul Man, among plenty of others.

His most recent role was in the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, where he played James Garner's character onstage in Chicago and was set to workshop it in New York City later this summer ahead of his Broadway debut.

His son Michael took to Facebook with a heart-wrenching tribute to his dad, writing, "Man...you know this is a part of life...but that doesn't make it any easier. I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn't ever meet your heroes because they don't turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father. Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more."

He is also survived by his wife, Judy, his daughter-in-law Katie, and his grandchildren: Evan, Miles, Olivia, Mika, Darius and Malik Beasley, who played with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.