One of John's most memorable roles was as Pops on The WB sitcom, The Wayans Brothers that aired between 1995 and 1999. Pops was the father of Shawn and Marlon Wayans who owned a diner and was seen by his sons as "tacky."

It was clear how much John valued this role, as it was included in his Twitter and Instagram bios and it has been part of many of the tributes that the public has made to him.

Marlon Wayans wrote a long tribute to his on-screen father on Instagram. He shared a black-and-white photo of him, Shawn, and John together, with John embracing the two. He detailed the impact that John had on him during the show's run and beyond. 

"I’m sad. Broken. Hurt... yet extremely grateful to God that I got to spend 5 years of my life working with one of the funniest, sweetest, wisest, humblest, loving man," he wrote. "John Witherspoon, you were my TV dad and my mentor and my friend. I miss you already. Something don’t feel right. This is heavy on my heart. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Pops. You have a strong wife and great kids. What an amazing family." 

Marlon went on to write that he would celebrate the late actor by putting on episodes of their show, and laughing. He also noted that John's sons really grew up on the set of The Wayans Bros. 

Other celebrities, including Chance the Rapper and Arsenio Hall paid tribute to the late actor on social media as well. Chance tweeted, "God bless John Witherspoon. The definition of an icon. Wow."

Arsenio referred to John as one of his "comic brothers."

His former co-star, Ice Cube, wrote on Twitter that he was "devastated over the passing of John Witherspoon." He also wrote that "Life won't be as funny without him."

Our thoughts are with John Witherspoon's family and loved ones.