Anthony 'A.J.' Johnson, 'Friday' Actor And Comic, Dies At 55

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Copyright © 2026, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information Advertisement Movies Anthony ‘A.J.’ Johnson, ‘Friday’ and ‘House Party’ actor, dies at 55
Anthony Johnson in a scene from the movie "I Got the Hook Up." Anthony Johnson, who acted in movies including 1998’s “I Got the Hook Up,” has died at age 55. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
Christie D'Zurilla. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) By Christie D’ZurillaStaff Writer Follow Sept. 20, 2021 11:43 AM PT
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Anthony “A.J.” Johnson, a comedian and actor known for performances in the 1990s movies “Friday,” “Menace II Society” and “House Party,” has died. He was 55.

Confirmation of Johnson’s death came Monday from his agent, LyNea Bell.

“The world of Comedy has truly been shaken, again,” she said in a statement to The Times. “Our BH Talent family is heartbroken about the loss of the iconic legend of stage and screen Mr. Anthony ‘AJ’ Johnson. He has left with us amazing memories of his laughter, dynamic acting skills, but most of all his enormous personality and heart of gold.”

Bell continued on Instagram, posting a photo of the actor and writing, “My hearts hurts ... The world lost an icon. a legend..R.I.P. A.J. Johnson.. you will be missed by many on so many levels.”

Advertisement A man in a blue suit and tie performs standup comedy

Television

Norm Macdonald, comedian and ‘SNL’ actor and writer, dies at 61

Norm Macdonald, who was a writer, performer and ‘Weekend Update’ anchor on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the ’90s, died Tuesday morning of cancer.

Sept. 14, 2021

No cause of death was provided. Johnson was found unresponsive in a store in Los Angeles earlier this month and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, TMZ reported.

Johnson had more than 40 credits on movies and TV shows, including “Moesha” and “Martin.”

“Sad to wake up to the news about AJ Johnson passing away. Naturally funny dude who was straight outta Compton at the same time. Sorry I couldn’t bring your character Ezal back to the big screen in Last Friday,” Ice Cube tweeted Monday, nodding to a film project planned for 2023 release.

Ice Cube, who co-wrote “Friday” with DJ Pooh, appeared with Johnson and then-newcomer Chris Tucker in the 1995 comedy.

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“Rest easy AJ!,” DJ Pooh tweeted.

Johnson is survived by his wife, Lexis, three children and his brother and sister.

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    Jan. 12, 2023
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    Josh Johnson put out over 22 hours of stand-up material in a year, and somehow is still hungry to do more

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Christie D’Zurilla is an assistant editor for entertainment news on the Fast Break team. A graduate of USC, she joined the Los Angeles Times in 2003 as a copy editor, started writing about celebrities in 2009 and has more than 36 years of journalism experience in Southern California.

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