New Delhi, Jan. 31 -- Grady Demond Wilson, the beloved actor best known for playing Lamont Sanford on the classic American sitcom Sanford and Son, has died at the age of 79.

His son, Demond Wilson Jr., confirmed the news, saying his father died at home in Palm Springs, California after a battle with cancer. "I love him. He was a great man," Wilson Jr. said in a tribute to his father.

Wilson was born Grady Demond Wilson on 13 October 1946 in Valdosta, Georgia, in the United States. He grew up in New York City and began performing on stage at a young age, appearing in Broadway productions and dancing at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre as a child.

Before he became a household name on television, Wilson served in the United States Army's 4th...