Celebrity Watch!: 11/19/17

Earle Hyman, actor of screen and stage best known as Grandpa Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," died Friday at age 91.

For 40 episodes over the famed sitcom's eight-season run, Hyman appeared in a recurring role as Cliff Huxtable's father, Russell, who would often butt heads with his son in comedic fashion while serving as a voice of wisdom to his grandchildren. Once a famous jazz trombonist named "Slide" Huxtable, Russell and his wife, Anna (Clarice Taylor), were the centerpiece of two of the show's most famous episodes in seasons 2 and 3, when the Huxtables put together lip-synch and dance routines for them to celebrate their wedding anniversaries. Hyman's work on the episode earned him an Emmy nomination.

Outside of the Cosby Show, Hyman was known by 80s kids for his work on the popular animated show "Thundercats," playing the gruff, muscle-bound warrior Panthro. He also has a highly decorated career in theater that began on Broadway in 1944 with the play "Anna Lucasta," and is highlighted by his thousands of performances as the titular lead of Shakespeare's "Othello." His stage credits also include Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and in an all-black production of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."

Hyman's death was first reported by Broadway Black.

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Country Music Hall of Famer, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and Grand Ole Opry member Mel Tillis died early Sunday morning at the Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Florida, according to his publicist Don Murry Grubbs.

Tillis had been ill for some time. In January 2016 he underwent surgery after a serious bout of diverticulitis. He battled sepsis and spent the better part of a month in the intensive care unit. According to Grubbs, he never fully recovered. The suspected cause of death is respiratory failure.

Daughter and country singer-songwriter Pam Tillis' Facebook page posted that her father's death was sudden and unexpected, and asked fans to post their memories on Mel Tillis' official Facebook page.

In high school, Tillis taught himself to play a guitar his older brother Richard bought, and soon he was getting invited to play at parties and events around his town. After a stint at the University of Florida, Tillis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Okinawa and served as a baker; he also sang on Armed Forces Radio with a band called The Westerners.

Upon leaving the Air Force in 1955, he returned to Florida and found work as a fireman on the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. When he wasn't working, he used his railroad pass to come to Nashville and visit publishers in town to pitch his songs (they'd tell him to go back home and work on his music).

Tillis earned his first charting country single in 1958 when he recorded "The Violet and a Rose" for Columbia. Fourteen years later, "I Ain't Never" became his first No. 1.

As a recording artist, Tillis was most successful in the 1970s, with two dozen Top 10 hits. Five of those were chart-toppers, including "Coca Cola Cowboy," which was featured in the Clint Eastwood film "Every Which Way But Loose." The Country Music Association named Tillis Entertainer of the Year in 1976. That year he also was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In addition to his music career, Tillis appeared regularly on television shows such as "Hee Haw" and "Hollywood Squares," was in multiple films, including "Smokey and the Bandit 2" and "Cannonball Run," and appeared in commercials for the fast-food chain Whataburger, which further enhanced his visibility.

If Tillis wasn't onstage (and he often was: during the peak of his career, he played up to 300 dates a year), chances are he could be found fishing, gardening or painting — he'd often donate the proceeds from the sales of his art to charity. He toured with his band The Statesiders, who were named after his 1966 single "Stateside," and regularly appeared on the Opry into his 80s. "It so happened that I found what I was good for," Tillis, discussing his music career, told The Tennessean in 1965. "I'm lucky. A lot of people go through life and never find out."

Tillis is survived by his longtime partner Kathy DeMonaco, his children, Pam, Carrie April, Cindy, Mel Jr. (nicknamed "Sonny"), Connie and Hannah; brother Richard; sister Linda Crosby; and six grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Funeral arrangements are unavailable at this time. Memorials will be held in Florida and Nashville.