Lou Myers Dead: ‘A Different World’ Star Dies At 77

Lou Myers, who played Mr. Vernon Gaines on the Cosby Show spinoff A Different World, has died.

The president of Myers’ non-profit organization told TMZ that the actor passed away last night in Charleston Medical Center shortly after a heart-related emergency. His heart stopped and doctors were able to revive him, but he slipped into a coma and died a couple of hours later at the age of 77.

Myers had previously been hospitalized in December for pneumonia, but was released after the new year. A few weeks ago, he collapsed in his home and was hospitalized again. According to TMZ, an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the official cause of death.

Myers’ Wikipedia and IMDB pages incorrectly list the actor’s birthday as September 26, 1945. In reality, he was born a decade earlier, but Myers reportedly lied about his age. A source dismissed the discrepancy, saying, “You know how actors are.”

While Lou Myers is probably best known for his role in A Different World, his career started over a decade earlier when he appeared as Reverend Mosley in the PBS series Great Performances. After that, he appeared as Mr. Davis on two episodes of the Cosby Show before joining A Different World a year later. He has also appeared in Volcano, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Wedding Planner and, most recently, It’s Kind of A Funny Story and Dreams.

Myers, who served in the Army, will receive a military burial in West Virginia. He is survived by his 95-year-old mother and his son.

[Photo credit: Divine Love/Flickr.com]