James Avery, who played the infamous Uncle Phil on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, died on Tuesday night at the age of 65.

The actor died at an L.A. hospital, and had recently undergone open heart surgery for an undisclosed illness. According to TMZ, Avery died from complications from the operation, according to TMZ.

Alfonso Ribeiro played Avery's son, Carlton Banks, on the hit television series. He tweeted about Avery's death saying, "I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly."

Ribeiro also posted a tribute to the late actor on Facebook.

"The world has lost a truly special man. I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed," he wrote. "Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed."

Avery made appearances on TV shows including That 70's Show, The Division and Sparks. He did voice work for animated TV series' such as Pepper Ann, Iron Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He also made appearances in the feature films The Brady Bunch Movie and Dr. Dolittle 2.

The actor served in the Vietnam War in 1968. He then moved to San Diego, Calif. where he began his career in the television industry. He started writing poetry and TV scripts for PBS, and won an Emmy as well as a scholarship to the University of California at San Diego, where he studied drama and literature.

Video footage of Avery prior to his passing can be viewed below.