Sherman Hemsley, “George Jefferson” Dead at 74

Sherman Hemsley—star of The Jeffersons and a Philadelphia native—has died at the age of 74. Hemsley’s cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, but authorities in El Paso, Texas—where the actor lived—say that there isn’t any evidence of foul play. Hemsley starred on The Jeffersons for 11 seasons and was nominated for an Emmy in 1985, but lost to another Philadelphian: Bill Cosby. The late actor said that he perfected George Jefferson’s iconic strut while he was growing up on the streets of South Philly.

Hemsley said he drew on his experiences as a young man to develop Jefferson’s celebrated strut, which he did during filming as a joke.

“The way we walked in South Philly, you think you bad,” he said. “You gotta be important. [CNN]