Actor and comedian Anthony "AJ" Johnson has died at the age of 55.
The star was found 'lifeless' in a Los Angeles store earlier this month and rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead, his nephew told TMZ.
The actor's cause of death is not yet known.
Johnson was best known for his roles in House Party and Friday and also appeared in the Lethal Weapon franchise.
His acting career took off in the 90s and he went on to perform as a stand-up comedian.
He also appeared in Lethal Weapon 3 as a drug dealer and Menace II Society with other acting credits including Moesha, Malcom & Eddie and The Players Club.
Johnson also starred in a number of rap videos including Dr Dre's Dre Day, where he played Sleazy-E, a parody of Eazy-E.
His breakthrough came in 1995's American comedy film Friday, which he starred in alongside rapper Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
The pair played unemployed friends who had to pay their local drug dealer while Johnson played petty thief Ezal.
The film went on to be a commercial hit, grossing $27million at the box office world wide and obtained a large cult following.
It was rumoured that Johnson was set to reprise his role in the upcoming movie Last Friday, the fourth and final instalment in the Friday franchise.
Following sad news of Johnson's death, fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor.
"RIP Anthony Johnson. He had more quotable lines in one movie than a lot of people's careers," said one.
"Rest in paradise Anthony Johnson, one of the funniest comedians in the 90’s. He’ll be missed," added another.
"So sad to hear of his passing...RIP Anthony Johnson aka Ezal," added a third.
