Read Marla Gibbs’ Emotional Farewell to ‘227’ Co-Star Hal Williams
Inside the final conversation that left the beloved TV couple still calling each other Mary and Lester decades after ‘227’ ended.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
July 17, 2026
The loss of Hal Williams is hitting especially hard for the cast of 227. Just days after the sitcom legend died at 91, Marla Gibbs shared an emotional tribute to the man who played her husband on-screen—and remained one of her closest friends long after the series ended.
“This is another difficult loss,” Gibbs, 95, wrote on Instagram. “My dear friend and TV husband, Hal Williams, has made his transition.” But her message went far beyond a farewell. Gibbs revealed their relationship began years before 227 became a television hit, when Williams joined the original stage production at her Crossroads Theater.
“Hal was always there to help,” she wrote, recalling how he secured donated theater seats and organized the seating chart because “he believed in supporting young artists. That’s just who Hal was, a generous man who freely gave his time, his talent, and his heart to the community.”
Gibbs also pulled back the curtain on one of 227‘s defining creative decisions. When the stage play was adapted for NBC in 1985, she insisted that Mary Jenkins shouldn’t be raising a child alone.
“I fought” to give the character a husband, she wrote. “I’m so glad I did. Hal, Regina King, and I became a television family that showed the love, strength, and stability of a Black family for five wonderful seasons.”
That choice helped make 227 one of the era’s defining sitcoms and introduced Regina King to television in her first role.
The actress said the friendship never faded after the cameras stopped rolling. “Even after the show ended, Hal never stopped checking on me,” Gibbs wrote. “We talked just a couple of weeks ago, laughing and carrying on like we always did…we still call each other Mary and Lester after all the years. I never imagined it would be our last conversation.”
She ended her message with a simple goodbye: “Rest peacefully, my dear friend.”
Jackée Harry echoed those sentiments in her own tribute, remembering Williams as “a gentleman” who “always carried himself with grace” and constantly made her laugh. She also highlighted the significance of his work beyond comedy.
“He was also a stand-up guy who believed Black fathers on TV should be loving, present, and compassionate,” Harry wrote. “He helped show America what that looked like.”
Williams died on July 15 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. The veteran actor first became a household name as Officer “Smitty” Smith on Sanford & Son before finding another signature role opposite Gibbs on 227.
His death comes less than six months after the passing of Sanford & Son star Demond Wilson, making 2026 a painful year for fans of classic Black television.
