Sherman Hemsley, the beloved comic actor who made George Jefferson of The Jeffersons a TV icon and a household name, has reportedly died at age 74, according to sources.  He was allegedly discovered by his nurse at his home in El Paso, Texas and the cause of death is believed to be natural causes.

Hemsley first played the role of Jefferson on 1970s staple ‘All in the Family’. The character became so popular it spawned a spin-off series which ran for an at-the-time unprecedented 11 seasons (1975-1985) and was consistently one of the highest rated sitcoms on television.

The show broke barriers by portraying an upper class black family, who in the words of the show’s classic theme song had “moved on up” to a deluxe apartment in an affluent part of New York City. The show remains the longest running series featuring a predominately black cast in television history.