‘The Walking Dead’ Star Khary Payton Remembers Scott Wilson

The Walking Dead star Khary Payton has paid touching tribute to late Hershel Greene actor Scott Wilson, who died Saturday at age 76.

The first time I met Scott Wilson, he gave me a big hug and said that this thing I had become apart of... was a family. He said I had a responsibility to take care of it. I have tried very hard to do that, sir. & I will continue. I promise. See you on the other side, my friend. pic.twitter.com/EhMm0dQbtx

— Khary Payton (@kharypayton) October 7, 2018

"The first time I met Scott Wilson, he gave me a big hug and said that this thing I had become apart of... was a family," Payton wrote on Twitter shortly after word broke of Wilson's death.

"He said I had a responsibility to take care of it. I have tried very hard to do that, sir. & I will continue. I promise. See you on the other side, my friend."

Payton boarded the series as the eccentric kingdom leader King Ezekiel in Season Seven, long after Wilson's Hershel departed the series following his untimely end in Season Four after three seasons on the show.

He adds his voice to a growing outpouring of love from The Walking Dead family — both those involved with the series and fans alike — following tributes from former Abraham Ford star Michael Cudlitz and Skybound, the entertainment company behind the franchise.

Hershel Greene will be seen again in The Walking Dead Season Nine, as confirmed by new showrunner Angela Kang Saturday at New York Comic Con — just one hour before it was learned Wilson had passed away. ComicBook.com can confirm the actor completed his scenes on the upcoming season before his death.

Wilson was a regular at Walker Stalker Con, the annual Walking Dead-centric convention featuring celebrity guests from throughout the series' history.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC Sunday with its extended Season Nine premiere.