After the untimely passing of James Avery, who played Uncle Phil on the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, his co-stars have stepped forward to say farewell to the show's beloved patriarch via Facebook.

Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Avery's son Carlton on the show, was the first to break the ice following Avery's passing. Ribeiro took to Facebook on Jan. 1, just one day after Avery's death.

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

On Jan. 4, Ribeiro posted a photo of Avery at his 2012 wedding, noting that "it's still hard to believe he's not with us."

"Some of my greatest lessons in Acting, Living and being a respectable human being came through James Avery," Smith wrote. "Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in Peace."

Avery died in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve due to complications from open heart surgery. He was 68 years old.

Aside from his Fresh Prince character Uncle Phil being ranked #34 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" list, Broadway World noted a number of other accolades showing off Avery's work in the Hollywood world.

He provided the voice of Shredder in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series, War Machine in the animated series Iron Man and Junkyard Dog in Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling.

Additionally Avery played Kelso's commanding officer at the police academy late in the series of That '70s Show. He made guest appearances on Grey's Anatomy, The Closer, L.A. Law, The Jeffersons, and appeared in three TV movies including, most recently, Go, Bolivia, Go!

Take a look at Avery's classic Uncle Phil role in the Fresh Prince below:

---
For the latest news & updates, follow Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary