Australian bodybuilding icon Lee Priest paid homage to legendary Hollywood star Louis Gossett Jr., the trailblazing actor who passed away on Friday morning, March 29, 2024, at 87 years old. Gossett Jr. made history after becoming the first black actor to win an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category. The bodybuilding icon mourned the actor’s passing as a fan.

Lee Priest shared an image of the actor on his Instagram handle with the caption, “Great actor. RIP.” Louis Gossett Jr. starred in multiple acclaimed films throughout his long and illustrious career. While winning an Academy Award might have been the biggest achievement of his Hollywood career, he found equal fame in television and won several other prestigious awards.

However, the renowned actor who marched with Nelson Mandela in support of civil rights suffered health complications since the 90s. Despite his storied career, the actor wasn’t free of vices. The Hollywood star suffered from cocaine addiction and alcoholism. While Gossett Jr. did manage to defeat his thanks to rehab in the early 2000s, a silent killer had been at work in his home.

The Hollywood star had earlier said that many of his health issues stemmed from toxic mold growing in his Malibu home. In 2010, he announced that he had prostate cancer. Thankfully, the award-winning actor defeated cancer. He also contracted COVID-19 in 2020. However, despite his documented history of health issues, the cause of his death remains undisclosed.

Louis Gossett Jr. is among the elite actors who have won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy. The late actor won the Academy Award for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). He won a Golden Globe in the same category for the film. Almost a decade later, Gossett Jr. won his second Golden Globe for The Josephine Baker Story (1991)

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Meanwhile, the Holywood legend won the Primetime Emmy Award for his leading role in the mini-series Roots (1977). Besides fans like Lee Priest, many renowned actors have mourned the loss of the great actor.

Hollywood mourns the trailblazer

Renowned black actors who followed in the footsteps of Louis Gossett Jr. mourned the actor’s passing. Coleman Domingo, who worked with the late actor in The Color Purple, wrote a heartfelt tribute to Gossett Jr. “Kind beyond measure. Regal. We owe so much to him,” wrote the Oscar-nominated actor.

“You were a Lion. A King. Your work will forever be seared in my brain and heart. As a young actor you were our example of excellence,” wrote Academy Award winner, Viola Davis. Louis Gossett Jr. had lent his voice to the upcoming John Krasinski film IF. “Today, we lost a true legend. Louis, thank you for making magic with us,” posted the film’s official Instagram handle.

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These were some of the handful of tributes that poured in after Louise Gossett Jr’s passing. It seems the Academy Award winner will continue to inspire everyone, from bodybuilding legends to fellow actors.