Actor Roger E Mosley of Magnum P.I. died Sunday after a car crash at the age of 83. According to TV Insider, Mosley was in a car accident on August 4, and his injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. His daughter Ch-a had posted that he was in “critical condition but fighting hard.” Sadly, Mosley wasn’t able to win the fight. Mosley starred as Theodore “TC” Calvin on all eight seasons of Magnum P.I., opposite Tom Selleck’s Magnum. The show ran from 1980 to 1988, and Mosley starred in more than 150 episodes. No further details about the accident that caused Mosley’s death have been revealed.
Magnum P.I. Actor Roger E Mosley’s Work
The Hollywood Reporter says that aside from his famous role in Magnum P.I., Mosley was an actor in many blaxploitation films. Such films included The Mack, Hit Man, Sweet Jesus Preacherman, and Darktown Strutters. Muhammad Ali also pummeled the actor in The Greatest, a 1977 biopic about the boxer’s life.
The role of TC on Magnum PI was initially given to Gerald McRaney. However, the producers needed to include a person of color in the main cast. Selleck had worked with Mosley in the 1973 prison film Terminal Island, suggesting that Mosley take the role.
Magnum PI actor Roger E Mosley is the latest of many beloved actors that have been lost this year, including Bob Saget and Nichelle Nichols. Ch-a honored her father on Facebook, saying, “We could never mourn such an amazing man. He would HATE any crying done in his name. It is time to celebrate the legacy he left for us all. I love you daddy. You loved me too. My heart is heavy but I am strong. I will care for mommy, your love of almost 60 years. You raised me well and she is in good hands. Rest easy.” Other survivors, besides his wife and daughter, include two other children, a grandson, and several nieces and nephews.”
The Nerd Stash sends condolences to actor Roger E. Mosley’s family.