It’s been three days since Jonathan Joss was shot to death by a neighbor in San Antonio, but tributes continue to roll in for 59-year-old actor.
Ahead of the “King of the Hill” Season 14 premiere on August 4, the team behind the Hulu revival paid tribute to the late voice actor on Tuesday.
“Jonathan brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival. His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family,” creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and co-showrunner Saladin Patterson said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Joss’ “Parks and Recreation” co-star Chris Pratt also shares a message in his honor. “Damn. RIP Jonathan,” he wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Always such a kind dude. He played Ken Hotate in Parks and was also in Mag 7. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.”
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,” fellow co-star Nick Offerman told People. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
Joss’ husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales previously explained that the shooting was caused by a homophobic neighbor who had allegedly accosted the newlywed couple in the past.
“My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home. That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done,” he wrote on Facebook. “Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.
“When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Kern de Gonzales continued. “While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired. Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.”
The suspected shooter was detained at the scene and has been charged with murder. However, despite Joss’ family statement, the San Antonio Police have stated: “Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that the Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
