Jonathan Joss’ memory lives on.
The late “King of the Hill” voice actor, who was shot and killed on June 1 in San Antonio, Texas, was honored Monday with an on-screen tribute at the end of the animated sitcom’s Season 14 finale.
“In Loving Memory… JONATHAN JOSS,” the tribute read alongside photos of Joss and his “King of the Hill” character, John Redcorn.
Joss was fatally shot outside his home on June 1 following an alleged fight with his neighbor, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez. He was 59.
The beloved actor, who also appeared in shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Tulsa King,” was reportedly found lying “near the roadway” when authorities were dispatched to a shooting in progress and arrested Alvarez.
Although police claimed Alvarez confessed to shooting and killing Joss, he was released on June 2 on a $200K bail bond.
Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’ husband, who was with the actor at the time of his death, has claimed that the “King of the Hill” star was a victim of a homophobic hate crime.
“He was laughing,” Kern de Gonzales alleged after the shooting. “He mocked me for telling my husband that I loved him and used the same homophobic slurs.”
“I was just really looking down at my husband, focused on him, making sure that he had completely crossed over,” Joss’ husband added.
Although the San Antonio Police Department originally said that their investigation discovered “no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss’s murder was related to his sexual orientation,” Chief of Police William McManus later walked back that initial statement.
“That was way, way, way, premature,” McManus said during a subsequent press conference. “We shouldn’t have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information. And I will own that.”
“I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the tragic loss of Mr. Joss, which has been heavily felt,” he added. “Our homicide detectives are continuing to pursue every lead in this case to ensure that we understand the full picture of what led up to the senseless murder of Mr. Joss.”
Joss joined “King of the Hill” after Victor Aaron, the original voice actor for John Redcorn, passed away in a car crash in September 1996.
He remained on the animated sitcom until its 13th season in 2009, and was set to reprise his role as John Redcorn for the revival, which was released in its entirety on Monday, Aug. 4, on Hulu, according to People.
However, Joss was reportedly escorted out of a “King of the Hill” panel at the ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas, on May 30 after he tried to talk to the show’s co-creators, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.
The “True Grit” actor was gunned down just two days later.
“Rest in peace, Jonathan Joss,” Judge, Daniels and Saladin Patterson wrote on Instagram after Joss’ death. “Jonathan brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival.”
“His voice will be missed at King of the Hill,” they added, “and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family.”
<
