Sherman Hemsley — TV’s George Jefferson

Man, I tell ya, 2012 is not the year for TV icons. This month alone, we've lost Andy Griffith, Ernest Borgnine, and now we've learned that Sherman Hemsley has headed to that "deee-luxe apartment in the sky."

As of this writing, no cause of death has been reported for Hemsley, who was 74. Sherman Hemsley will likely ALWAYS be remembered for his portrayal of George Jefferson, a character he originated on All in the Family and continued playing for 11 seasons on The Jeffersons. Hemsley also enjoyed mild success with his follow-up series, Amen, which ran on NBC for five seasons in the late 80s and early 90s.

But it's George Jefferson that will forever be his legacy. To be perfectly honest, The Jeffersons doesn't hold up as well as some other sitcoms from the 80s. But, no matter. When I think of The Jeffersons, I think of coming home from church on Sunday night, my parents hosting get-togethers, and me heading off to my bedroom to do the homework that I had all weekend to do and didn't.

So, whatever I feel about the show, there's a bit of nostalgia attached to it. And that's what keeps it fun.