James Avery, who memorably starred as Will Smith's gruff Uncle Phil on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died at the age of 65, TMZ reports. Avery had reportedly recently undergone open heart surgery, and died from complications in a Los Angeles hospital last night. His wife Barbara had briefly left his side, reports TMZ. "The world has lost a truly special man," said Alfonso Ribeiro in a Facebook post. "Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed. " (More entertainment stories.)