OMAHA, NEBRASKA: John Beasley, who portrayed Barton Ballentine on the TV Land comedy 'The Soul Man', died on Tuesday, May 30 at the age of 79. The father of two died while undergoing liver testing before things took a sudden turn for the worse.
Tyrone Beasley, the elder of his two children, informed Hollywood Reporter that John died in a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was born and raised. On Facebook, John's other son Michael Beasley wrote, "Man... you know this is a part of life... but that doesn't make it any easier. I lost my best friend today. They say you shouldn't ever meet your heroes because they don't turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father. Thank you for everything. I hope I made you proud. Love you more."
'I was raising my family'
John, a well-known figure to viewers of movies and television over the previous three decades, didn't start acting professionally until he was in his forties. He said, "I was raising my family. I have two sons that I'm very proud of and I thought that being a father and watching these kids grow up was more important," according to WOWT.
John's wife Judy, daughter-in-law Katie, grandchildren Evan, Miles, Olivia, Mika, Darius, and NBA veteran Malik Beasley—who played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season—are among the other survivors.
Who are John Beasley's children?
John is the father of Tyrone and Michael, who he shares with Judy Beasley. Tyrone is a pioneer in the arts and a writer, director, and actor. He has been on stage and in films. He was creative director of his father's John Beasley Theatre & Workshop before to taking on the role as associate artistic director of outbound programming at The Rose Theater. Earlier this year, he was chosen to serve as the new artistic director of Nebraska Shakespeare.
Michael is an independent film and television actor from Atlanta. He has emulated his father by playing recurrent roles in 'Bloodline', 'Swagger', 'Ballers', and 'Escape at Dannemora' and has also appeared on 'Blackish' as a guest. He has been in supporting roles in both TV movies like 'Steel Magnolias' and films like 'The Accountant', 'Flight', and 'Unconditional'.
The father, along with his two sons, are all brilliant artists. Michael formerly ran his own graphic design company. On the other hand, Tyrone's artwork can be seen in the homes of people. He is also skilled in creating and painting scenery for stage sets.
