James "Uncle Phil" Avery died yesterday at age 68

James Avery was a class act. R.I. P.

James Avery, the bulky character actor who laid down the law at home and on the job as the Honorable Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died.

Avery’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told The Associated Press that Avery died Tuesday in Glendale, Calif., following complications from open heart surgery. He was 68, Snyder said.