Uncle Phil From ‘Fresh Prince,’ James Avery, Dies At 65 In Los Angeles

James Avery, the actor who played Uncle Phil on the hit television show "Fresh Prince of Bel Aire," died in a Los Angeles hospital on Wednesday from an undisclosed illness, TMZ reports.

His wife Barbara, who remained at his bedside as he was recovering from a recent surgery, left for a short period of time to pick up food and came back to find him dead, the website also reports.

There is no confirmation on the specific cause of his death.

Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton on "Fresh Prince of Bel Aire," posted a message on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, informing his fans of the occurrence.

"The world has lost a truly special man," he wrote.

"I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed. Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed."

Avery was featured in television shows "L.A. Law," "The Jeffersons," "Grey's Anatomy" and many others.