following the broadcast to inform them that Thomas - the true Buckwheat - had been dead for ten years. Despite being confronted by McFarland on the television newsmagazine A Current Affair, English, who died four years later at the age of 60, refused to retreat from his claim, maintaining that he had originated the role of Buckwheat, with other actors playing the character only after he had left it. The next week, 20/20 acknowledged on-air that English's claim had been false, and apologized for the interview. The fallout from this incident included the resignation of a 20/20 producer and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of William Thomas. References External links The Sons of the Desert Convention/Our Gang Reunion Yes, I Met Buckwheat 1931 births 1980 deaths American male child actors Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Hal Roach Studios actors Male actors from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors African-American male actors African-American male child actors American male comedy actors United States Army soldiers Our Gang 20th-century African-American people