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Chris Pratt paid tribute to his “Parks and Recreation” co-star Jonathan Joss on social media after the news of his death in a shooting, telling his followers to “hug your loved ones.”
Joss, who played Chief Ken Hotate on “Parks and Rec” and was best known for voicing “King of the Hill” character John Redcorn, was fatally shot in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday and pronounced dead at the scene. He was 59.
“Damn. RIP Jonathan,” Pratt posted on his Instagram Story on Monday. “Always such a kind dude. He played Ken Hotate in Parks and was also in Mag 7. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.”
Joss was in five “Parks and Rec” episodes between 2011 and 2015, appearing across the sitcom’s third, fifth and seventh seasons. Pratt broke out on the series as Andy Dwyer, a goofy but lovable musician who dated Aubrey Plaza’s cynical April Ludgate.
Nick Offerman, who led “Parks and Rec” as the department’s director Ron Swanson, told People on Monday that the cast of the show had been “texting all day” to process their grief over Joss’ death together.
“The cast has been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken,” Offerman said. “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate. A terrible tragedy.”
The investigation into Joss’ death is still ongoing, but the shooter was detained at the scene and booked for murder. In a statement on Joss’ Facebook page, the actor’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged that he and Joss were targets of homophobic harassment and that their house burned down “after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire.”
The San Antonio Police Department said in a statement that there is currently “no evidence to indicate Mr. Joss’ murder was related to his sexual orientation.”
English (US) ·