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'Good Times' Actress Ja'Net DuBois Dies at 74

Ja'Net DuBois
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Ja'Net DuBois has passed away. The "Good Times" actress was 74 years old.

PEOPLE reports that the Glendale Police Department responded to a call at DuBois' home. The Associated Press revealed that the star died of "natural causes and there is no ongoing investigation into her death."


DuBois' co-star, Janet Jackson, took to Instagram to honor her life and legacy.

"I am so very saddened to hear my longtime friend Ja'Net DuBois has passed away. I saw first hand how she broke stereotypes and changed the landscape for Black women in entertainment," Jackson wrote alongside a photo with DuBois.

Jackson portrayed Penny Gordon Woods in the 1974 comedy that spanned six seasons. DuBois played Willona Woods, Penny's adoptive mother and the feisty neighbor of Florida and James Evans, a couple raising children in a Chicago housing project.

"I'm grateful in recent years I had a chance to see her and create more lasting memories. I pray for comfort for all her family and friends. Thank you Ja'Net, I'll miss you. 🖤" Jackson added.

BernNadette Stanis, who played Thelma Evans Anderson on the series, said she learned of her death Tuesday from the actress' daughter.

"She used to keep us laughing all the time," Stanis told AP, adding, "She was very, very talented. If she wasn't singing ... she was creating a character to make us laugh."

TVLand paid tribute to DuBois writing, "In addition to being the Evans family's lovable neighbor, Willona, Dubois composed and sang 'Movin' on Up' the iconic theme song for 'The Jeffersons.'"

Following her death, more tributes began pouring in from actors and celebrities including Holly Robinson Peete, Loni Love, DL Hughley, and Viola Davis.

In addition to "Good Times," DuBois appeared in several TV shows including "The Love Boat," "Beverly Hills, 90210," and "The Facts of Life."

She's survived by her three children Rani, Yovanne, and Burghardt DuBois. EW reports that her son Raj Kristo Gupta died in 1987 after losing a three-year battle with cancer.

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