Nathaniel Taylor, who played Lamont Sanford’s smartly dressed buddy “Rollo” on 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, has died. He was 80.
Taylor passed away Feb. 27 in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack, according to his friend and music promoter Alonzo Williams.
“Today black Hollywood lost a 70s legend Nathaniel Taylor better known as “Rolo” [sic] of the hit show Sanford and son. He passed Feb 27th at UCLA medical center of complications from a recent heart attack. Taylor’s character on Sanford was the lovable, funny but questionable friend of Lamont the co-star of the show. Services are yet to be announced,” Williams said in a statement.
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For six seasons, Taylor could be seen scheming with Demond Wilson’s Lamont on the popular NBC series.
Sanford and Son centered on widower and junk dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), who lived in a cluttered home in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, with his adult son. Rollo frequently stopped by the house and was hit with near-constant insults from the elder Sanford. Taylor also played Rollo on the short-lived spinoff Sanford.
The Missouri native teamed up with Foxx again in 1986 as Jim-Jam on The Redd Foxx Show. His other credits included the 1974 blaxploitation film Willie Dynamite, and he had guest roles on the television series Adam-12, The Bill Cosby Show, What’s Happening!! and 227, according to his IMDb page.
Taylor is survived by his wife Loretta, four daughters and two sons.
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