King of the Hill star Jonathan Joss’ husband says he died in ‘homophobic attack’

Jonathan Joss has reportedly died at the age of 59 (Picture: Alamy)

King of the Hill star Jonathan Joss has died at the age of 59.

The actor is best known for his stint as John Redcorn in the beloved cartoon, which ran for 13 seasons between 1997 – 2009.

According to reports, he was shot by an unidentified neighbor in Texas after a ‘heated argument’.

TMZ reports that they began rowing at a house in San Antonio on Sunday night when this escalated.

San Antonio Police Department officers told the outlet that the neighbor pulled out a gun and shot the late star several times, before fleeing the scene.

Law enforcement officials reportedly responded to a call of a shooting, and captured a suspect a block away from the home.

Jonathan played John Redcorn in King of the Hill

They took him into custody but no further details have been shared – officers are investigating the incident and trying to understand what sparked the argument.

Paramedics quickly arrived but were unable to save Joss and he was later pronounced dead.

Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, shared a lengthy statement on Facebook over his loss, claiming that his husband died in a homophobic attack.

‘My husband Jonathan Joss and I were involved in a shooting while checking the mail at the site of our former home,’ he began a lengthy message.

The actor was reportedly shot by a neighbor (Picture: Alamy)

‘That home was burned down after over two years of threats from people in the area who repeatedly told us they would set it on fire. We reported these threats to law enforcement multiple times and nothing was done.

‘Throughout that time we were harassed regularly by individuals who made it clear they did not accept our relationship. Much of the harassment was openly homophobic.

‘When we returned to the site to check our mail we discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view. This caused both of us severe emotional distress. We began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw.’

‘While we were doing this a man approached us. He started yelling violent homophobic slurs at us. He then raised a gun from his lap and fired,’ he continued.

‘Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life.’

‘Jonathan is my husband. He gave me more love in our time together than most people ever get. We were newlyweds. We picked Valentines Day. We were in the process of looking for a trailer and planning our future.

‘He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other. I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved. To everyone who supported him, his fans, his friends, know that he valued you deeply. He saw you as family.’

Gonzales concluded: ‘My focus now is on protecting Jonathan’s legacy and honoring the life we built together.

‘Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built.’

Joss stepped into the spotlight in the 90s, claiming roles on both the big and small screen – including Walker, Texas Ranger and Dead Man’s Walk.

It was his voice role as John Redcorn in King of the Hill that he will be most known for, having appeared as the healer and masseur for over a decade.

Kathy Najimy, Brittany Murphy, Breckin Meyer and Tom Petty were among the star-studded cast before the series ended in 2009.

He played the character across all 13 seasons

It was recently confirmed that King of the Hill would be getting a revival some of the old cast.

Aside from the animated series, he also starred as Ken Hotate in a string of memorable Parks and Recreation episodes, alongside Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Nick Offerman and Aubrey Plaza.

Joss also popped up in The League, Friday Night Lights, Charmed, Ray Donovan and The Messenger.

His last screen role came as Bad Face opposite Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King.

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