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Star Tommy Lister died in his Marina Del Rey, California, earlier today, Dec. 10, 2020. He is known for his character Deebo from the “Friday” franchise.
According to Lister’s manager — Cindy Cowan — he was found unconscious. Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene. Cowan further stated that Lister had contracted COVID-19 earlier this year.
She continued on by saying he had defeated the virus. Roughly a week ago he began feeling ill again and recently developed issues breathing.
At this time is unclear what exactly was Lister’s cause of death. The coroner’s office is investigating the situation.
Cowan described him as “a gentle giant.”
The gentle giant stood 6 foot and 5 inches tall and weighed 275 pounds. He was born on June 24, 1958, in Compton, California.
At birth, he was named Thomas Duane Lister Jr. He started off playing basketball before turning his sights to acting.
His first role was in 1985 when he played a prison guard in “Runaway Train.” In 1986 he played Andy Garcia’s bodyguard in the movie “8 Million Ways to Die.”
In the late 1980s, he joined the now WWE and the WCW — professional wrestling — under the names “Zeus” and “ZGangsta.” Back then WWE was known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Lister is seen in over 80 movies throughout his career. Some of those movies are “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “The Fifth Element,” and “Little Nicky.” He also made an appearance in the movie “Beverly Hills Cop II” which starred Eddie Murphy.
Ice Cube posted a tribute to the late star on his Instagram page.
America’s favorite bully was a born entertainer who would pop into character at the drop of a hat terrifying people on and off camera. Followed by a big smile and laugh. Thank you for being a good dude at heart. I miss you already.
TMZ was the first to report Lister’s death. Since news of his death broke there have been numerous posts about him on all social media platforms. One person on Twitter called the man a legend. Many others agree with them. The Breakfast Club tweeted “Our condolences & love go out to his family and friends tonight.”
One thing is certain Lister will be greatly missed by many. May he rest in peace.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
IMDb: Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister
WCJB-ABC: Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, who played Deebo in ‘Friday,’ dies
Featured Image by Grant Gould Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inline Image by Tolgenn Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
