1983. Louis Gossett Jr. looked dapper in his tuxedo, as he walked up to receive his Oscar. His smile was radiant. “You know when you prepare a speech, it’s no use, cause it’s all gone,” is how he started his speech. His legendary role as Marine Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ can’t be forgotten. His portrayal of a strict drill instructor, who was tasked with training Aviation Officer Candidate School candidates at Port Rainier in Port Townsend, was one of a kind.

His line “Only two things come outta Oklahoma; Steers and queers” might cause a debate today, but Louis Gossett Jr. was the best part of the movie. In fact, director Taylor Hackford wanted to make his intimidating character so realistic that he insisted the actor remain distant from his younger co-stars off-camera. Louis Gossett Jr. is no more and the news of his passing saddened many. This includes Magic Johnson and Dwyane Wade‘s wife Gabrielle Union.

Remembering the first black artist to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor

Gossett Jr. was 46 while filming for the famous role, which eventually won an Oscar. But with that victory, he also became the first black artist to win in that category. His loss cuts deep for many. Amid all the tributes online, Los Angeles Lakers‘ Champion Magic Johnson and Dwyane Wade‘s wife shared the best memories they had of the actor.

Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter, “Rest in Peace to the legendary Louis Gossett Jr.! His impact as an actor spanned six decades from Broadway to TV to Film. He had performances in classic films like Roots and an Officer and a Gentleman…His presence in the film industry was powerful and helped pave the way for so many Black actors today. I had the pleasure of knowing him very well.”

“It was great for me and my Showtime Laker teammates to see him at our games, cheering loud and showing support at the Forum! Cookie and I are praying for the entire Gossett family during this difficult time.”

Gossett’s family announced his death in a statement. “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” The immediate cause of death was not shared.

He wasn’t just a great actor. He could have been a famous athlete too. Gossett Jr. had signed with the New York Knicks upon his graduation in the late 1950s. “I was at rookie training for the Knicks when I got a call from [playwright] Lorraine Hansberry to be a part of A Raisin in the Sun… That was more money than most professional athletes had in the bank at the time. I put the basketball down, and the rest is history.”

Now like Magic Johnson, Gabrielle Union too shared her thoughts about the 87-year-old. She had the honor of working with Gossett Jr. on the sets of ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’. This is where Union got to know how kind and welcoming the late legend was. She wrote on her Instagram story, “I was lucky enough to work with this legend on “Daddy’s Little Girls” and every day he would allow us to ask him questions and tell us stories about his life and career.”

She added in the end, “So sweet and so talented and always laughed when I’d say “MAYO-nase… A true gentleman”. (Mayo is a reference to a character from ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’).

The actor’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett shared that he passed away in Santa Monica, California. He remembered Gossett Jr. not just as a great man, but also as a man who met Nelson Mandela. After all, both were on a path to fight racism.

Nelson Mandela inspired Gossett Jr.

Life as a black actor was difficult. As a teen who freshly tasted success at a Broadway run, he headed to Beverly Hills feeling all excited. But alas! He couldn’t go too far before he was stopped by a cop. Apparently, he matched the description of someone they were looking for. And it happened again! And again! By the time he reached the Beverly Hills Hotel, he was handcuffed to a tree.

This moment, as mentioned in his memoir ‘An Actor and a Gentleman’, went from “Welcome to Hollywood” to “Welcome to Reality”. And despite his success, it served as a painful reminder for him that racial barriers would always exist. “I had to act as if I was second class. I had to behave myself,” in 2008, he told The Times. “The only time I was really free was when the director said ‘action’ in front of a camera or on the stage and that’s when I flew.”

Thus, meeting Nelson Mandela inspired him. When Mandela came out of prison, he was smiling. Gossett Jr. questioned him about it and the late Mandela said, “There’s a much bigger picture.” This led the actor to understand the power of staying together as one. Gossett also believed in portraying racial struggles on screen. In fact, he broke through as Fiddler in the 1977 miniseries ‘Roots’, which depicted the atrocities of slavery on TV.

Further, he also founded the Eracism Foundation to fight against racism and discrimination. Louis Cameron Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. His father, Louis Sr. was a porter, and his mother Hellen was a nurse.

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