Mandy Moore shares “This Is Us” reunion photo honoring late Ron Cephas Jones: 'Family forever'
The cast of This Is Us isn't done making you cry, more than a year after the series finale aired.
On Sunday, Mandy Moore shared a sweet photo of an informal cast reunion in which she, Sterling K. Brown, Chris Sullivan, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Jon Huertas gathered for a meal to honor their late friend and costar Ron Cephas Jones, who died last month at 66.
The photo, posted to Moore's Instagram Story, shows the group sitting around a table smiling. "Before the tears, we broke bread," the actress wrote. "I love this family forever. And we love you, Ron."
Huertas reposted Moore's image and added, "Love these people! Miss ya Ron!"
Mandy Moore/Instagram
Watson echoed the sentiment as well. "One time for the coolest cat," she wrote, adding, "One love & light forever."
Jones, a Emmy-winning actor known for playing William Hill on the NBC tearjerker, died Aug. 19 from what a representative described as a "long-standing pulmonary issue." The actor revealed in a 2021 New York Times interview that he had received a double lung transplant the previous year, following a private battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
On his final day on the set of This Is Us, he told EW how the show's cast and crew supported him through his health issues. "You cats held me when I was struggling and you didn't let me go," he said through tears. "You've been there for a very difficult part of my life. I'm a walking miracle."
At the time of Jones' death, Moore shared a photo of the two of them in the series' penultimate episode, writing, "Getting to know and work with Ron on the wild ride of This Is Us was the greatest gift. He was pure magic as a human and an artist… I will treasure all of the moments forever. Even though he wasn't around set as much as we all wished, he was such an intrinsic part of the fabric of the show, it's like he was always there."
Ron Batzdorff/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Ron Cephas Jones and Mandy Moore on 'This Is Us'
Brown, who played Jones' son on TIU, also shared a tribute in the wake of the actor's death. "Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us," he wrote on Instagram. "The world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I'll see you when I get there."
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