King of the Hill is giving a beloved character an appropriate send off.
Two months after actor Jonathan Joss—who voiced John Redcorn on the series—was killed in a fatal shooting in his San Antonio, Texas, neighborhood, the series shared a moving tribute in the final episode of the season 14 revival, which had been in progress before his death.
At the beginning of the episode, John offers some of his special red corn to Hank and his friends Dale, Bill and Jeff, only to lament how his business—John Redcorn’s Texas-Grown Red Corn—is being impacted by an infestation of wild hogs on his property. Hank then promises John to help battle the incursion, and indeed in the episode’s closing minutes, Hank and his friends successfully trap the beasts.
In the final scene, John tells Peggy and Hank his company will have a projected operating profit margin of 38 percent now that he’s wild hog-free. The Hills couple then decides to invest in John’s company, securing his success for the future.
And before the credits rolled, King of the Hill dedicated the episode to Johnathan’s “loving memory,” including a side-by-side image of the actor and his character.
The dedication comes two months after Jonathan was shot and killed by a neighbor on June 1 amid a heated argument, per the Dan Antonio Police Departments and eyewitness reports. Police told TMZ that a neighbor allegedly fired several bullets from a vehicle before driving away from the scene. The next day, Sigfredo Alvarez-Cega was arrested in connection to the crime and charged with murder, being held on a $200,000 bail.
In addition to his work as John Redcorn on King of the Hill, joining the series in its second season and staying on until its original end in 2009, Jonathan also portrayed Wamapoke tribal elder Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation.
It was a role that Jonathan always looked back on fondly.
“Ken Hotate is almost like ‘The Wolf’ in Pulp Fiction,” he joked to My San Antonio in 2014. “You call when you need him.”
He added that it was a “dream” to share scenes with star Amy Poehler: “It’s like standing next to Lucille Ball.”
Following Jonathan’s death, his fellow Pawnee resident Chris Pratt shared a tribute to the late actor.
“Damn. RIP Jonathan. Always such a kind dude,” Chris his Instagram Story June 2. “Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.”
