Happiness and nostalgic memory act as a catalyst to create a togetherness in a family. Although it has been over four years since the guardian of Smollett's family, Joel Smollett, died due to cancer, his happy family remembers him as a man of dignity and deepest strength.
Joel came to limelight as a proud father of his six children who are all striking face in the Hollywood industry.
Relationship With Janet Smollett; Father Of Six Children
The late guardian of Smollett family, Joel Smollett, met his lovely wife Janet Smollett in the Bay Area. The Russian-Polish Jew instantly fell in love with the African-American lady who hails from New Orleans. In the populous region surrounding the northern part of the U.S. state, the duo campaigned for the civil rights.
His wife, Janet Smollett, tutored with Julian Bond and became a heartthrob of a civil right movement with the likes of Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. She later rose as a civil rights leader and became one of the founders of Black Panther.
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After their marriage, Joel became a father, a total of six children, two daughters, and four sons. Joel was a proud father of his children who were all notable as American actors, producers, and musicians. The late cable splicer is a grandparent of Hunter Zion Bell. His actress daughter Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who has an astonishing net worth of $2 million, married a pop musician Josiah Bell in 2010 and gave birth to their son, Hunter.
Joel Smollett and his wife Janet Smollett's six children pictured in April 2018 (Photo: Instagram)
Joel and Janet's youngest son, Jocqui Smollett, is a striking face of ABC's sitcom On Our Own. The University of California graduate is also one of the producers of the TV show that showcased the Smollett Family. Meanwhile, their son, Jussie Smollett, is an American actor who portrayed a gay role in the TV series, Empire. American actor Terrell Carter became an on-screen gay partner of Jussie in the hit Fox series.
In February 2019, his son Jussie got suspended from the TV show Empire. The African-American actor got accused of filing a false police report claiming that he was a victim of hate crime. According to the police, Jussie got unsatisfied with his salary and staged the attack. Fox Production team also issued a statement and said:
The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. Jussie has been an important member of our Empire family for the past five years and we care about him deeply. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show, and to avoid further disruption on set we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season.
Jussie's siblings rushed towards his defense and spoke about the alleged assault. They blamed the media and his sister Jurnee, and brother Jocqui even labeled that media has made the victim look like a criminal.
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Joel's daughter, Jazz Smollett, who was born on 1 April 1980 is an actress known for TV series On Our Own, where she portrayed a character of Jai Jerrico. Their sons Jake Smollett and Jojo Smollett are also a familiar face in the Hollywood industry.
Died Of Cancer At 58!
The proud father of six children, Joel had a sad demise at the age of 58 on 7 January 2015. He was battling against cancer but could not survive the abnormal growth cell which ultimately led the guardian of the Smollett family to departure from the world.
His son, Jussie Smollett, shared a tribute towards his father and accorded the emotionally-stirring message on Instagram confirming Joel's death news. All of the Smollett's family mourned over the loss of their great father and a great husband.
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As per wiki, since Joel's death, his widow wife is relishing her single life sharing a good bond with their six children. In December 2018, Jussie shared an Instagram post dedicating to his mother. The Empire actor revealed that 16 years ago, he promised his mother that he would take her to London and he fulfilled that obligation. He also announced the next vacation of mother-and-son at Ghana.
Short Bio
Joel Smollett was born in 1956 to his parents Molly Hirschenson and Peter Smollett. His family shares Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity and hails from Romania, Russia, and Poland. Although his grandparents David Smollett and Dawley Levy were the Roman Jewish immigrant, he carried white ethnicity.