Keith Jefferson, one of Quentin Tarantino’s regular collaborators, has died. He was 53 years old. The actor, best known for his roles in Django Unchained and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, passed away in August after a battle with cancer. While his family kept mostly private and dealt with the aftermath of his passing, it was his friend Jamie Foxx who eventually informed the public, making a statement on his personal Instagram page remembering his friend and colleague.
Jefferson was an actor, producer, voiceover artist and acting coach, who first worked with Foxx on The Jamie Foxx Show in 1998. Besides his work with Foxx and Tarantino, Jefferson has appeared in projects like Buffalo Soldiers and the forthcoming The Burial.
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“Keith, you’ve been nothing but absolute grace, your whole life your heart is pure your love is immeasurable you were an amazing soul,” Foxx wrote. “We will all miss you dearly. It’s gonna take a long time for this to heal,” Foxx wrote. “Goodbye, my friend. I love you.”
You can see his post below.
The pair most recently collaborated In Foxx’s 2022 film Day Shift.
“Everything hurts right now having a hard time looking through these pictures reliving the memories of us having a great time going to miss you man gonna miss you,” Foxx added later in a second Instagram post. “Since we met back in college, you have been in incredible soul God rest, NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO SEE THE WORDS ABOUT MY FRIEND.”
According to his official bio, Jefferson was born to Lovie and the late Reverend Edward Jefferson in Houston, Texas, in 1970. He was an exceptional high school athlete, and later received a BFA in musical theatre from US International University/Performing Arts in San Diego, then an MFA in Acting from The University of Arizona in Tucson. In addition to film work, Jefferson was a stage actor, with touring and regional theatre credits that include Jim in Big River, the title role in Othello, Officer James Bailey in Superior Donuts, and the Reverend Avery Johnson in The Piano Lesson.
Our condolences go out to Jefferson’s family, friends, collaborators, and fans during this difficult time.
