Johnny Brown from ‘Good Times’ Dies @ 84

Johnny Brown, who played the perennial punching bag Bookman on the classic Norman Lear (b. 1922) sitcom Good Times, died March 2 at 84.

It was the best of times, it was the Good of Times (Image via CBS)

His Broadway actress daughter Sharon Catherine Brown, 60, announced his passing in an anguished Instagram post on Friday:

"Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable. To articulate the depths of profound sadness. This is my mom’s husband for sixty one years, mine and JJ’s dad, Elijah and Levi’s Pop Pop, older brother to George and brother in law to Pat and extended family to Chris, Hihat, Damian and Derell. It’s too terrible. It will never not be. It’s a shock. He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet. So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much."

Born on June 11, 1937, in St. Petersburg, Florida, Brown made his movie debut in the 1966 film A Man Called Adam and also had a fun bit part in the hit The Out of Towners (1969).

He guested on The Leslie Uggams Show (1969), Julia (1969), Love, American Style (1970 & 1971), and had a solid run of 52 episodes as part of the Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1970-1972) troupe.

Other guest spots included on shows like Maude (1973) and The Rookies (1973) before he was cast as Nathan Bookman on Good Times, appearing on 58 episodes between 1975-1979.

He also appeared in the film version of The Wiz (1978) and provided voices for the Saturday morning cartoon series Plastic Man (1979-1980).

Brown continued his prolific TV career on such shows as The Jeffersons (1982), Moonlighting (1988), Martin (1994), Family Matters (1995), and Everybody Hates Chris (2008).

His last film was 2013's In Da Cut.

Brown is survived by his wife of 61 years, his two children, his brother, and by extended family members.

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