Gossett Jr.’s life was not without its struggles, no matter how fortunate he was in his talents. His self-possession, particularly in late life, came from lessons and missteps that resulted in him going to rehab in 2004, as his 2010 memoir “An Actor and a Gentleman” describes. As Reuters says, Gossett Jr. passed through a period of intense rage at the racism and injustices faced by Black people, which pushed him into a “haze of freebase cocaine, alcohol and a toxic mold that invaded his house and his body.” In the end, Gossett Jr. emerged wiser and a believer in the need for unity between all peoples. “Once you put it through a blender, we are one people. We are all equal, and we need one another to survive and save this planet,” he said.
In 2020, amidst interviews and attention in his mid-80s, Gossett Jr. remarked on Closer Weekly, “I’m amazed I’m still here and relevant.” He worked well into his late life, even garnering an Emmy nomination for his role in 2019’s “Watchmen” at the age of 83. He said that he never considered retiring from acting because acting was just a “part of my lifestyle.”
Louis Gossett Jr. was married three times and had two sons, one adopted (Shannon) with his second wife, Cindy James Gossett, and one biological (Satie) with his third wife, Christina Mangosing. He is survived by these children and nine grandchildren.
