Lou Myers Passes Away!

Lou Myers played Mr. Gaines on sitcom A Different World.

A Different World was a sitcom spin off of The Cosby Show. It followed Denise Huxtable to a historically Black college. As Denise explores college she meets Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. They would later become friends. Denise Huxtable was played by Lisa Bonet. Bonet appeared only on the first season of A Different World.  Dwayne was played by Kadeem Hardison. Whitley was played by Jasmine Guy.

Voice actress Cree Summer, media mogul Jada Pickett-Smith, actresses Charnele Brown and Karen Malina White would later join the show.

One character who made an impact on the sitcom was Lou Myers who had the role of Mr. Gaines, a wise and yet often crafty owner of The Pitt Diner.He played the mentor of Kimberly Reese, Freddie Brooks, Lena James and Charmaine Tyesha Brown.

Lou Myers died today according to the Associated Press. TMZ reports that the actor died on February 19 at Charleston Medical Center in West Virginia after undergoing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. He had previously been hospitalized in December for pneumonia. AP reports that Myers was 76 years-old.

"A Different World" ran from 1987 to 1993 in which the characters attended a historically black university.

Myers starred on the show alongside Lisa Bonet and Jada Pinkett. In his later years, Myers would also make memorable appearances in numerous other television shows and films such as "The Wedding Planner," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Tin Cup" and "All About the Andersons."

Myers is survived by his mother and a son.