Floyd Roger Myers Jr., a former child actor who once appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died at the age of 42.
His mother, Renee Trice, confirmed that Myers passed away from a heart attack at his home in Maryland in the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 29.
She shared that her son had experienced three heart attacks in the last three years, but his sudden passing still came as a shock. “I had just spoken to him last night,” Trice told TMZ.
Myers made his acting debut in 1992 on the hit NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In the episode, he played a younger version of Will Smith’s character in a flashback, which quickly made him a hit with audiences and lined him up with other roles.
That same year, he portrayed a young Marlon Jackson in the ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. The project, which also starred Angela Bassett, Vanessa Williams, and Billy Dee Williams, remains one of the most well-known TV retellings of the Jackson family’s story.
After those early roles, Myers’ acting career slowed down. His last credited on-screen appearance came in 2000, when he landed a small role on Young Americans, a short-lived drama on The WB.
In the years that followed, Myers shifted his focus to community work and activism, which is where he is perhaps best remembered. He co-founded the nonprofit Fellaship Men’s Group, an organization dedicated to men’s mental health.
Following news of his death, the group paid tribute to him on Instagram: “RIP to our good brother @rocwonder one of our co founders. Gone but never will be forgotten. The mission will continue in your honor. Next men’s meeting will be one for the books like we talked about! Love you bro, rest easy, big bro will take it from here.”