Whitman Mayo achieved incredible heights in the movie industry for over thirty years. Sadly, he died in 2001, at the age of 70. Keep reading to know more about the icon’s life and tragic death.
Whitman Mayo was popularly known as an American actor. He featured in various movies like “Different Strokes,” “The Cape,” and “In The Heat Of The Night.” However, he was most famous for his character as Grady Wilson in the 1970s television sitcom “Sanford & Son.”
While the icon lived out his career in the television and film industry for thirty years, he battled some health complications shortly before his death. Let’s take a deeper look into Whitman’s tragic demise.
WHITMAN MAYO’S SAD DEATH
On May 22, 2001, Whitman died at the Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, at 70 years, after suffering a heart attack. According to a spokeswoman for the family, the Hollywood icon battled with a hernia and was hospitalized two months before he died.
The woman also revealed that the 70-year-old died at 5:15 am that day while being transported from one hospital to another. Before Whitman’s death, he hosted Turner South’s weekly series titled: “Liars & Legends.”
In a condolence message, Vice president and general manager of Turner South, David Rudolph, explained that the death of the star actor deeply saddened the television network.
Apart from “Liars & Legends,” one of Whitman’s most recent works at the time was acting as Rev. Banyon in the movie “Boycott.”
He was survived by his two sons, Gerrard Gibbons, Rahn Mayo, his daughter, Tonya Mayo, his wife of 28 years; Gail Reid Mayo, and his mother, Mary Mayo.
WHO WAS WHITMAN MAYO?
Whitman was born as a native of New York but spent most of his time in Los Angeles. The actor attended Los Angeles City and the University of California, Los Angeles.
He made appearances in eleven out of the first twenty episodes and was known for his favorite phrase, “good goobly goop.”
After graduating in 1956, Whitman sought a full-time job and ventured into counseling for delinquent boys at an institution. The “Different Strokes” actor worked at the institution for seven years before quitting to follow his dreams as an actor in 1963.
While amassing incredible fame and fortune, Whitman constantly passed down his knowledge to others. Five years before his death, he began teaching drama classes that focused on scene study at the Clark Atlanta University. Whitman also coached students on graduate school auditions.
