Roger E. Mosley, ‘Magnum, P.I.’ Actor, Dies At 83 After A Car Crash (Breaking News)

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Roger E. Mosley, who was best known for his role in “Magnum, P.I.,” has passed away. He was 83.

Mosley died on Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from injuries he got in a car accident on Thursday in Lynwood, California, his daughter Ch-a Mosley told USA TODAY.

Mosley was born to Eloise Harris on December 18, 1938, in Los Angeles. He grew up in the Imperial Courts public housing complex in Watts. The actor first appeared on TV in 1971 in the crime drama “Longstreet.” During the 1970s, he was in a number of movies, including the crime drama “Hit Man,” the blaxploitation movie “The Mack,” and the John Wayne drama “McQ.”

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But Mosley never left TV. He was in shows like “Kojak,” “The Rockford Files,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” “Sanford and Son,” “Kung Fu,” and “The Love Boat.”

His big break in show business, though, came in 1980 when he was cast as helicopter pilot Theodore “TC” Calvin on the Tom Selleck and John Hillerman show “Magnum, P.I.”‘

Roger E. Mosley, 'Magnum, P.I.' Actor, Dies At 83 After A Car Crash
Roger E. Mosley, ‘Magnum, P.I.’ Actor, Dies At 83 After A Car Crash

Mosley, who grew up in Los Angeles, thought it was important that his “Magnum, P.I.” character gave Black people a positive image.

In a 1982 interview with Ebony, Mosley said, “They (the Magnum writers) keep writing for me to smoke and drink, but I won’t do it.”

“On the show or in real life, I never get high, smoke, or drink. I don’t want Black kids to see that.”

On social media Sunday, many people talked about how much they liked seeing Mosley on TV.

Editor Philip Michaels wrote on Twitter, “So much of what I like about Magnum PI comes from Roger E. Mosley, the unsung comic hero of many scenes on that show.”

Tina Andrews, who wrote and directed the movie, said that it was a “sad day.”

“My friend Roger E. Mosley, who played TC on Magnum P.I. and was 83 years old, has passed away,” she said. “After a car accident this weekend, he was taken care of by his family. What a nice guy! He was a great actor and threw great parties. RIP, Roger. People cared about you and will miss you.”

A Twitter user named @JerrellZod wrote, “Some of these young kids don’t realize there was a time when there were only so many Black actors and actresses on TV/film REGULARLY,” and Mosley was one of them.

@shavar said that Mosley was a “wonderful actor” on Twitter.

“I watched Mr. Mosley play tennis at Poinsettia Park in West Hollywood, California when I was a child. He was like a brother, “the tweet said. “On the TV show Magnum P.I., I was proud to play his son Bryant. I pray for Mr. Mosley’s family, friends, and fans, and I’m sorry for their loss.”

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“MagnumPI” wouldn’t have been the same without Roger E. Mosley, said writer Jay Faerber.

After the show ran for eight years, Mosley came back to the “Magnum, P.I.” world in 2019 to play John Booky on the CBS reboot of the show, which started in 2018.

Ch-a, Mosley’s daughter, wrote a Facebook post about her dad.

“He passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family,” Ch-a wrote.

“We could never be sad about such a great person. He would DISLIKE it if people cried in his name. We should all celebrate what he left behind for us. I love you, daddy. You too loved me. Even though my heart hurts, I am strong.”

“I will take care of mommy, your almost 60-year-old love,” Mosley’s daughter wrote in her post.

“You did a good job of raising me, so she is in good hands. Don’t worry.”

Mosley is survived by his wife Antoinette “Toni” and their three children.

Stay tuned for more updates, Nog Magazine.