‘Sanford and Son’ Actor Nathaniel Taylor Dies at 80: Reports

This image provided by one of his sons via Sarah Mack Photo shows actor Nathaniel Taylor, who played the role of Rollo Dawson in the hit 1970s sitcom "Sanford and Son." Taylor died Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, in Los Angeles, at the age of 80. (Sarah Mack Photo via AP)

Nathaniel Taylor, who played Rollo Lawson on “Sanford and Son,” died at the age of 80, according to reports last week.

His son, Kaedi Taylor, told The Associated Press that he died of a heart attack at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

“It was a time and an era — just to be on TV as a black man, it was an honor,” Kaedi Taylor, a TV industry worker, told AP of his father’s role on the show. “It was an honor for people to remember him.”

Taylor also appeared on “The Redd Foxx Show,” ″Police Story,” and “What’s Happening.”

In film, he appeared in Blaxpoitation films such as “Dynamite” and “Trouble Man.

In the 1980 spinoff, “Sanford,” he played the role of Rollo Lawson again.

Music promoter Alonzo “Lonzo” Williams, a friend of Taylor’s, said he was a mentor to many people.

“He was always there with a wise word and a kind word and a joke to put a little icing on it,” Williams said.

Taylor is survived by his wife, Loretta, three sons and four daughters, AP reported.

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