Actor Jonathan Joss, who voiced John Redcorn on King of the Hill, was killed in a shooting over the weekend in San Antonio, Texas. Joss was 59 years old.
On Sunday night, San Antonio police officers were dispatched to a shooting outside a home around 7 p.m. local time. When police arrived, they discovered Joss near the edge of the road with multiple gunshot wounds. The officers attempted life-saving measures and called for medical support, but he was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived. Police are still investigating the shooting. TMZ, which was the first outlet to break the news, reported that Joss was shot by a neighbor after an argument turned violent.
Joss has voiced fan-favorite character John Redcorn, a Native American healer and musician, since King of the Hill’s second season. Variety reports that he has already recorded his lines for the upcoming revival, which is set to arrive on Hulu this August. Redcorn will appear in the second episode of the show’s upcoming 14th season and will likely appear a few more times before the new season ends. He also appeared in NBC’s Parks & Recreation multiple times as Ken Hotate.
TMZ further reported that Joss had returned to his home on Sunday night after it had burned down in February, allegedly due to him using a BBQ pit. TMZ says that after he discovered the skeleton of one of his dogs, which had been killed in the fire in the remains of the home, he grew agitated and began ranting at others in the area. Reportedly, this was a common occurrence, according to TMZ. He allegedly got into a heated verbal confrontation with a neighbor in the area, who later returned and shot Joss multiple times.
The actor’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, posted a lengthy statement on Facebook alleging that the people in their neighborhood had been threatening the couple for years over their relationship. The late actor’s husband claims that when they returned to their burned-down home, a man approached them and yelled homophobic slurs before shooting Joss with a gun.
“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,” said de Gonzales.
Joss wasn’t the first voice actor for John Redcorn. The original actor, Victor Aaron, voiced the character in the show’s first season but died in a car crash. King of the Hill’s new 14th season arrives this August, and Hulu recently released the show’s intro, which includes John Redcorn.
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