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"Will Smith spoke out publicly for the first time over the weekend about the recent death of James Avery, his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar who played Uncle Phil. \n\"Some of my greatest lessons in Acting, Living and being a respectable human being came through James Avery,\" Smith wrote in a Facebook post (see below). \"Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in Peace.\"\nSee also: 3 Netflix Shows Earn 6 Golden Globe Nominations\nOn the popular 1990s show, Avery assumed the role of fill-in father for Will Smith's character. Avery's performance earned him a spot on TV Guide's list of 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.\nSmith's Facebook post included the last photo he and Avery took together:\n\nPost by Will Smith.\nAlfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton, announced Avery's death on Twitter and Facebook on Jan. 1. The 68-year-old reportedly died due to complications from open-heart surgery.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\nBONUS: 9 Pieces of Everyday Wisdom From Uncle Phil\n \n\n\nUncle Phil Quotes\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. He knew the importance of building a savings account. How else could he afford Hillary's $300 hat?\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. He thought about aging the way vintners think about wine.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. He had a take-no-prisoners stance on making mistakes. \n\n\nImage: Tumblr, dory-7\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. He taught Will not to judge people before getting to know them first.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, angelasuh\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. He knew what it meant to maintain relationships.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, freshprincesubs\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. He knew how to handle defeat.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. He knew family is what you make of it.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, fallinginloveinjune\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. He knew parenting wasn't an easy job.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, HumorUs\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnd that sometimes you have to ground your daughter for 10 years to get your point across. \n\nVideo: YouTube, HumorUs\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. He knew that sometimes, saying nothing is the best answer.\n\n\nImage: Tumblr, wordspicturesvideo\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#appId=116628718381794&amp;xfbml=1&amp;status=1&amp;cookie=1\",\"facebook_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/01/06/will-smith-uncle-phil-facebook/>