A Different World: Every Cast Member Who Has Died In Real Life

There are several members of theA Different Worldcast who have died - and the actors who have passed away after appearing on the NBC sitcom shows how high the caliber of talent in the show truly was. Airing between 1987 and 1993,A Different Worldwas a spin-off ofThe Cosby Showthat went on to gain a solid following in its own right. Jasmine Guy led the cast as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne, and the show followed her life at the fictional Hillman College.

In the years following the cancelationof the 1990s sitcomA Different Worldin 1993, several former cast members have passed away. Some were recurring presences on the show, whereas others were guest stars who only appeared in single episodes. However, each member of theA Different Worldcast who has died left with an incredible career behind them, highlighting how important the performances of the actors in the sitcom were for cementing its legacy.

Lou Myers

Passed Away February 2013 Aged 77

Actor: A prolific actor before joining the cast ofA Different Worldin season 2, Lou Myers is still best known for playing Vernon Gaines in the NBC sitcom.However, he had a hit Broadway career too, first appearing in the 1975 run ofThe First Breeze of Summer,and was an original cast member for many August Wilson plays likeMa Rainey’s Black Bottom.Lou Myers died in 2013 after complications with Pneumonia, aged 77.

2001

1995

Tin Cup

1996

Role: Lou Myers played Vernon Gaines inA Different World,joining the sitcom in season 2 to debut in the episode “Two Gentlemen of Hillman”.The owner of Hillman College restaurant “The Pit” went on to appear in 88 episodes of the show, and was one of the more popular characters despite being incredibly grouchy. However, his gruff exterior was just a front, and over many conversations with characters like Kim (who worked for him), it became clear he was a complex individual deep down.

Diahann Carroll

Passed Away October 2019 Aged 84

Actor:Diahann Carroll, who played Marion inA Different World,passed away in 2019 after a long struggle with great cancer which was first diagnosed in 1997. Carroll was one of the most critically acclaimed members of theA Different Worldcast, and had won a Golden Globe and Tony Award in addition to receiving five Emmy nominations.Outside ofA Different World,Diahann Carroll is most remembered for her appearance in classic movies like 1974’sClaudineand 1961’sParis Blues.

1974

1961

Julia

1968-9171

Role: As Marion Gilbert, Diahann Carroll appeared in 7 episodes ofA Different World,and was always hilarious.Marion was Whitley Gilbert-Wayne’s mom and an extremely nosey and judgmental socialite. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Carroll as the incredibly charismatic middle-class character, and the late actor truly made the role her own. She first appeared in season 2’s “For She’s Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage”, with Marion’s final episode being “When One Door Closes… Part 2” in season 6.

Rosalind Cash

Passed Away October 1995 Aged 56

Actor: The firstA Different Worldcast member to pass away was Rosalind Cash in 1995.Like Diahann Carrol, Cash passed away from cancer, though at the much younger age of 56. She was still active when she passed away, and was portraying Mary inGeneral Hospitalon ABC at the time of her death. Outside of playing Dean Hughes inA Different World,Rosalind Cash is also known for her work in sci-fi movies such as 1971’sThe Omega Man.

1971

1994-1995

Sister, Sister

1982

Role:Rosalind Cash only appeared in four episodes ofA Different Worldas Dean Hughes. A serious character who needed to be an intimidating presence, Cash tapped into her stage work in plays like Shakespeare’sKing Learto give the recurring sitcom role the gravitas needed.While not one of the most centralA Different Worldcharacters, Rosalind Cash’s Dean Hughes was definitely among the more memorable.

Ron O’Neal

Passed Away January 2004 Aged 66

Actor:A Different Worldcast member Ron O’Neal is fondly remembered for his prevalence inthe blaxploitation film movement, especially due to his role as cocaine dealer Youngblood Priest in 1972’sSuper Fly.His career started on Broadway before moving to screen roles in the 1970s. He also turned his hand to writing and directing, helming the 1973Super FlysequelSuper Fly T.N.Tin 1973. O’Neal died in 2004 after a battle with pancreatic cancer that lasted four years.

1972

1984

Brave New World

1980

Role: Ron O’Neal played Whitley’s father Mercer onA Different World,and while his character was married (and then divorced) from Diahann Carrol’s Marion, the two couldn’t be more different. O’Neal only appeared in four episodes of the show, and wasn’t as integral a presence as Marion, though thanks to the actor’s considerable talent, the character was both memorable and helped add emotional depth to the adult Whitley.

Robert Guillaume

Passed Away October 2007 Aged 89

Actor: Robert Guillaume was among the most acclaimed members of theA Different Worldcast, and like Diahann Carroll had won several awards including a Grammy and two Emmys. Playing Dean Winston and Professor Murphy inA Different Worldisn’t what Guillaume is most known for either. Playing Benson DuBois inSoapandBenson,as well asvoicing Rafiki inThe Lion Kingremain career highlights. He also made history as the first Black actor to play the Phantom inThe Phantom of the Operabefore he died in 2017.

1994

1979-1986

Superfly T.N.T

1973

Role:Despite his high level of acclaim, Robert Guillaume only appeared in three episodes ofA Different World,and portrayed two characters. Guillaume played Dean Winston for a single episode and Professor Murphy twice in the sitcom, with Winston being a history teacher and Murphy teaching Kim medicine. Of all the esteemed actor’s roles and appearances, it’s among his most minor.

Ted Ross

Passed Away September 2002 Aged 68

Actor: The late Ted Ross’s career was defined by playingThe Lion inThe Wiz,a role he received a Tony Award for during the 1975 Broadway run of the show. He appeared in the same role in the 1978 movie, though this andA Different Worldare far from his only career highlights. He also played Bitterman in the 1981 rom-comArthur,and his final movie role before he passed away in 2002 was 1991’sThe Fisher King.Ross suffered a stroke in 1998, and it was complications from this that eventually led to his passing.

1978

1981

The Fisher King

1991

Role: Ted Ross’s character Dean Harris is one of severalA Different Worldcharacters to cross over fromThe Cosby Show.He first appeared in the season 3 finale ofThe Cosby Show,“Hillman”, which also introduced the college which would become the central location forA Different World.He appeared in the pilot ofA Different World,though didn’t return for many episodes, with his final performance as Dean Harris coming in season 1’s “My Dinner with Theo”.

Kristoff St. John

Passed Away February 2019 Aged 52

Actor:A Different Worldcast member Kristoff St. John passed away in 2019 at age 52, among the youngest at their time of death.The late actor’s most notable appearance wasn’t inA Different Worldbut the CBS daytime soapThe Young and the Restless,inwhich he appeared from 1991 until 2019 as Neil Winters (and won two Daytime Emmys for). He also played Adam Marshall inGenerationsand Alex inRoots: The Next Generations.His death was ruled as accidental and linked to an underlying heart condition.

The Young And The Restless

1991-2019

1979

Role: Kristoff St. John only appeared in a single episode ofA Different World,playing E.Z. Brooks.He appeared in the 12th episode of season 1, “Advise and Descent”, and is a failing student Denise agrees to help during finals week. Like Ted Ross, Kristoff St. John had also appeared onThe Cosby Show,though in a completely different role. In the series from whichA Different Worldspinned off from, St. John played David James, a character who was ironically the opposite of E.Z. Brooks in many ways, since James had a keen interest in books and philosophy.

James Avery

Passed Away December 2013 Aged 68

Actor: Actor James Avery is known most predominantly for playing Uncle Phil in the hit 1990s sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.It wasplaying Philip Banks alongside Will Smiththat put Avery’s name on the map, thoughThe Fresh PrinceandA Different Worldare far from his only appearances. He also received acclaim for playing Judge Michael Conover inL.A. Lawand voicing Shredder in the originalTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescartoon. Avery tragically passed away in 2013 at age 68 due to complications during open-heart surgery.

1990-1996

1988-1992

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1987-1993

Role: James Avery had a very brief appearance inA Different World,which came shortly before he first debuted as Uncle Phil inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.He had a small role in the season 3 episode “To Have and Have Not”, which aired in 1989. His character was simply called “The Pin Pusher”. A small part, but one made all the more memorable in retrospect given Avery’s later career.

Thomas Mikal Ford

Passed Away October 2016 Aged 52

Actor:A Different Worldcast member Thomas Mikal Ford was no stranger to sitcoms.He had regular roles inMartinas Tommy and Mel inThe Parkers. However, it’s playing Lt. Malcolm Barker in the 1994-1999 Fox dramaNew York Undercoverthat he’s perhaps most recognized for, especially since it’s beenconfirmed by creator Dick Wolfthat the show takes place in theLaw & Order, Chicago,andFBIuniverse. Another member of theA Different Worldcast who died relatively young, Ford passed away aged 52 following a ruptured abdominal aneurysm.

1994-1999

1992-1997

The Parkers

1999-2001

Role:Thomas Mikal Ford is one of several cast members ofA Different Worldwho died that only had a minor appearance on the show. Ford guest starred in theA Different Worldseason 3 episode “The Thing About Women”. His character, Lama Collins, was the ex-husband of Jaleesa Vinson.