Louis Gossett Jr. on Nov. 6, 2016.Photo:David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
In his final interview with PEOPLE,Louis Gossett Jr.shared his thoughts death, just months before theAcademy Awardwinner died at 87.
“I’m not afraid to die and the fact of going to heaven,” the actor said in his last interview with PEOPLE, conducted in January. “I know they are having some great concerts up there.”
“I know that and my heroes and heroines are up there and I think it’s different from what we think it is and the old days,” he added. “I think after we make that transition, I think it’s going to be a great time.”
Louis Gossett Jr. circa 1985.Bob Riha Jr/WireImage
Bob Riha Jr/WireImage
Gossett Jr., a New York City native, beganacting for the stagein 1950s Broadway shows likeTake a Giant Step,The Desk SetandA Raisin in the Sunbefore his big screen debut in the 1961 film adaptation of the latter production. TheRaisin in the Sunfilm adaptation released two years after the original Lorraine Hansberry play premiered on Broadway; Gossett Jr. acted alongside the legendarySidney Poitierin both the stage play and the film.
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From there, Gossett Jr. embarked on an acting career that lasted more than six decades.IMDbcredits the actor with 200+ roles to his name and 12 projects that were still in the works prior to his death. Gossett Jr. won his Oscar for playing drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in 1982’sAn Officer and a Gentleman,but hewas also know for his role in the 1977 television miniseriesRoots, among other projects.
He most recently appeared in 2023’sThe Color Purplemovie musical, as well as in two episodes of the BET+ seriesKingdom Business.
Louis Gossett Jr. in a 1977 episode of Roots.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“Sometimes I look cantankerous because I can’t get up and then do this or that. There’s those exercises I used to do, can’t walk that mile the way I used to,” Gossett Jr. told PEOPLE in January, when asked about life in his 80s. “So your mind is just like a car, you shift out from the fifth gear down to the fourth gear. You take the messages. Now that I’m this age, you do things a different way.”
“You take all of it, the subtle stresses, you put it out the window, you face it down to the place where you can handle things and you let go and let God take care of the rest,” he added. “I’m not afraid to die, but I’m still here. God must have something left for me to do. I’m in peace today.”
source: people.com
