“Jeffersons” star funeral date finally set

Friends and fans of the late “Jeffersons” actor, Sherman Hemsley, will finally get some closure today as the dispute over his estate has been settled. Hemsley was famous for playing George Jefferson on the television show “The Jeffersons” which aired from 1975 to 1985 and was one of the longest running television sitcoms in American history with a predominantly black cast.

Hemsley sadly lost his life when he succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 74 in his home in El Paso, Texas. Hemsley, who was always very private about his personal life, never married or had any children, and as such left only one sole beneficiary in his will, his long-time friend and manager Flora Enchinton. Enchinton revealed after Hemsley’s death that he did not make any mention of relatives before his passing, but that "Some people come out of the woodwork — they think Sherman, they think money. But the fact is that I did not know Sherman when he was in the limelight. I met them when he came running from Los Angeles with not one penny, when there was nothing but struggle." 

One of those individuals who “came out of the woodwork” is Hemsleys half-brother from Philadelphia Richard Thorton, who challenged the will in hopes of getting what he felt he was titled to. This act caused the funeral of Hemsley to be delayed for nearly four months.

Earlier this month, a judge in El Paso ruled that the will is valid, and Sherman Hemsley is finally set to be layed to rest today in his home town.