Anthony Johnson, the actor best known for portraying Ezal in Friday, has passed away. According to TMZ, which spoke with Johnson’s nephew, the comedian was found “lifeless” at a Los Angeles store earlier this month. Johnson was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was tragically pronounced dead. He was 55 years old.

So far, Johnson’s official cause of death has not been released. After news of his passing broke on Monday (Sept. 20), fans and fellow actors paid their respects on social media.

“Damn… We losing some heavy hitters this year,” one person tweeted. “Rest in Peace Anthony Johnson. That’s crazy.”

“Rest In Peace to Anthony Johnson,” another fan wrote. “He brought us so much joy through his work.”

Johnson landed his breakout role – E.Z.E. in House Party – in 1990. Along with a successful standup career, the Compton native went on to appear in almost 50 films and TV shows, including Lethal Weapon 3, Menace II Society, “Martin,” The Players Club, B*A*P*S, Panther and I Got The Hook-Up. He was also featured in several music videos, such as Dr. Dre’s “Dre Day” where he played a parody of Eazy-E called Sleazy-E.

Johnson was also rumored to be reprising his role in the upcoming Last Friday. Production for the fourth and final installment of the Friday franchise has stalled since the deaths of John Witherspoon and Tommy Lister Jr. in 2018 and 2020, respectively. However, this May, Ice Cube revealed he had two potential scripts written for the movie. Clifton Powell also expressed support for the sequel last year as a tribute to both Witherspoon and Lister.

See fans and fellow actors’ tributes to Johnson on social media below. We at REVOLT send our deepest condolences to Johnson’s family and friends at this time.