Don "Bubba" Bexley

 

Donald Thomas Bexley was born on March 10, 1910.  By most official accounts, he was born in Jamestown, Virginia.  Other sources cite his place of birth as Detroit.  This blogger tends to believe the former. 

Bexley was born with a flair for the stage.  His mother was a classical vocalist while his father was a Bible scholar and teacher.  He got his own start in the 1940s as a standup comedian in upstate New York, working with such notables as Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Henny Youngman.  Bexley was the first African-American comedian to perform in the Catskills of New York.

During his travels, he met fellow comedian Redd Foxx.  They immediately hit it off and would often perform together, a friendship and professional relationship that would span fifty years.

In 1971, Foxx started his signature series hit Sanford and Son, convincing NBC to hire his friend as well.  Bexley was cast as Fred Sanford's friend Bubba, the role for which he is best remembered.  Bexley stayed with the show until it ended in 1977, later reprising the role in a short-lived spin-off (see Trivia below).

Bexley continued acting throughout the 1980s, appearing on such hits as Hill Street Blues, Cheers, and Laverne and Shirley.  By 1996, his health was in decline however, and after suffering a hip injury, Bexley relocated to Hampton, Virginia, just a stone's throw from this blogger.  It was there that he died of heart and kidney failure on April 15, 1997.  He was 87 years old.  He was laid to rest at Hampton Memorial Gardens.

Location: Veteran's Block #3, Lot #228, Space #1
Inscription #1: Bubba
Inscription #2: In God's Loving Care

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Bexley was good friends with Redd Foxx for more than fifty years.  In 1991, Foxx was starring in the short-lived sit-com The Royal Family, and as this blog reported, he died on set.  Producers opted to kill off his character in a similar manner and continue the series.  Bexley pulled double duty, serving as a pallbearer at Foxx's Las Vegas service while appearing as a funeral guest on the sit-com as well.  You can watch the episode in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1957, Bexley and partner Dave Turner released a comedy album called Laff of the Party.  Check it out on YouTube.  Note: While the YouTube comments section suggests that this is not a Don Bexley recording, this blogger has verified its authenticity.
  
  
• Bexley reprised the role of Bubba on the short-lived 1977 spin-off series The Sanford Arms.  Check out the intro on YouTube.
  
  
• Bexley had a brief, uncredited role in the 1984 flop turned cult classic Dune.
  
  
• In 1989, Bexley was named Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year by Orlando's Support the Artists of America.