Clarence Williams III's career began on stage with the play ‘Dark of the Moo’ in 1957 and he later became popular for ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘Purple Rain’
Clarence Williams III as Lincoln Linc Hayes in a 1969 episode of The Mod Squad. (CNN)Clarence Williams III, who played Linc Hayes in The Mod Squad, died at his home in Los Angeles after battling colon cancer, his manager Peg Donegan told CNN in a statement Sunday.
Williams was 81.
Williams was born in New York City on August 21, 1939, according to the statement.
He began his career in a production of Dark of the Moon, and appeared on Broadway in The Great Outdoors.
His performance in Slow Dance on the Killing Ground won him a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination, the statement said.
Clarence Williams III, who’s best known for his role as “Linc Hayes” of ‘The Mod Squad,’ and roles in ‘Half Baked,’ ‘Tales From The Hood,’ ‘Purple Rain,’ and ‘I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,’ has sadly passed away at 81.
The veteran actor’s management team confirmed the tragic news on Sunday (June 6), citing that he passed on Friday (June 4) in Los Angeles after battling colon cancer. Williams made his mark in the industry as a Black power icon in the 1960s and 1970s via his cool detective role in ‘The Mod Squad.’
The actor would go on to star in the aforementioned roles, plus: ’52 Pick-Up,’ ‘Reindeer Games,’ ‘Sugar Hill,’ ‘The Legend of 1900,’ and more. Williams is survived by his sister Sondra Pugh, daughter Jamey Phillips, niece Suyin Shaw, grandnephews Elliot Shaw and Ese Shaw, and grandniece Azaria Verdin. He was married to actress Gloria Foster (Oracle in the first two ‘Matrix’ movies) from 1967-84.
Clarence Williams III, who portrayed Linc Hayes for five seasons on “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” has died. He was 81. The cause was colon cancer, his manager confirmed. He died on Friday. His breakout role was playing Lincoln Hayes as part of the counterculture hit “The Mod Squad,” which ran from 1968 to 1973 and co-starred Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole as Julie Barnes .