Blaxploitation legend Richard Roundtree, who played detective John Shaft in Gordon Parks’ 1971 action thriller, died on Tuesday afternoon following a brief fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 81 years old

Cause of death-

As of now, the precise cause of his death has not been disclosed by his family. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for some time.

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Net worth-

As per media reports, he had a net worth of around $6 million. His most well-known role was that of John Shaft in the ground-breaking Shaft film series, which made headlines for featuring a black action hero.

Age-

Richard Roundtree was born on July 9, 1942. He died at the age of 81.

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Career-

American actor Richard Roundtree gained widespread recognition for his performance as the private investigator John Shaft in the 1971 film “Shaft” and its four follow-ups, “Shaft’s Big Score” (1972), “Shaft in Africa” (1973), “Shaft” (2000), and “Shaft” (2019),

Roundtree, who was raised in New Rochelle, New York, first sought a career in fashion modeling before joining the Negro Ensemble Company, where he performed in a number of plays, including “The Great White Hope.” His big break came in 1971 when he was chosen to play John Shaft in the ground-breaking movie “Shaft,” which shot to fame thanks to its critical and financial success.

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Wife & Children-

Richard Roundtree had five children from his two marriages. On November 27, 1963, he was married for the first time to Mary Jane Grant. John James and Kelli were Roundtree and Grant’s two lucky children. However, in December 1973, their marriage ended in divorce. He started a romantic connection with TV personality and actress Cathy Lee Crosby after their split.

Roundtree later fell in love once more and wed Karen M. Ciernia in September 1980. Three children were born into their union: Trevor, Richard Jr., and Tayler. Regretfully, Roundtree and Ciernia’s 1998 divorce marked the end of their marriage.