Updated with social media statement from Jonathan Joss’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales.
Jonathan Joss, an actor well known to animation and comedy fans as the voice of John Redcorn in Fox’s King of the Hill series, died June 1 at age 59 after being shot multiple times by a neighbor in a “heated argument” Sunday night. Police and paramedics were unable to save his life at the scene in San Antonio, Texas.
The neighbor, identified by San Antonio Police as Sigfredo Alvarez-Cega, attempted to flee the scene in a vehicle and was apprehended just a block away. He has been arrested and charged with murder. Police are interviewing witnesses to determine the cause of the argument.
The actor’s violent death follows an earlier tragedy in January this year, when he lost his home and three dogs in a fire. The house in San Antonio’s South Side was built by Joss’s father in 1957, and Joss had grown up there. He had been staying in a motel at the time the blaze started, due to problems with the electricity after the home was vandalized.
Born Jonathan Joss Gonzales on December 22, 1965 in San Antonio, Joss attended McCollum High School and then enrolled at Southwest Texas Stat University (now TSU San Marcos), but left before graduating. He later attended San Antonio College, and ultimately graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University with a degree in theater and speech.
Joss began his acting career in earnest in the 1990s, obtaining film and television roles in contemporary Westerns like 8 Seconds, Almost Heroes, Dead Man’s Walk and Walker, Texas Ranger. His first big animation gig was providing additional voices for Disney’s direct-to-video release Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, and soon after he took on the role of John Redcorn in King of the Hill. Joss voiced the character from Season 2 to Season 13 — in another sad twist, he got the part after the original voice actor, Victor Aaron, died in a car accident in 1996.
King of the Hill initially ran on Fox from 1997 to 2009, and is returning for a 14th season on Hulu on August 4. Joss had already recorded lines for the new season, according to Variety.
Joss is also recognized by Parks and Recreation fans for playing the recurring character Chief Ken Hotate in the sitcom. He had recurring roles in Ray Donovan, Bridgewater and Tulsa King, as well as appearing in Charmed, ER, Into the West and Friday Night Lights. His voice over work across animation and video games also includes roles in The Wild Thornberrys, Justice League Unlimited, Red Dead Redemption, The Walking Dead: Michonne, Wasteland 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.
In addition to his acting and voice over work, Joss was a musician and performed in The Red Corn Band, a reference to his well-known King of the Hill character. Joss had Comanche and White Mountain Apache ancestry.
On June 2, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, Joss’s husband, posted to the actor’s Facebook page with a detailed recounting of the incident which, according to Gonzales, was the culmination of homophobic harassment and threats. The bereaved wrote, “Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future. He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family.”
In a follow-up post, Gonzales noted that several offers have been made to cover expense for a celebration of life for Joss but no plans have been made yet. He added that instead of contributing to a GoFundMe, “I would both [sic] rather you spread the word about the consistent injustice done to him, to us, and to our dogs.”
Content warning: The Facebook posts includes descriptions of homophobia, violence, threats, pet death and abuse of animal remains.
[Sources: Variety, San Antonio Police Department, The Guardian, San Antonio News Express, TMZ]
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