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The cause of death was complications from open-heart surgery, said his manager, Toni Benson.
His "Fresh Prince" co-star Alfonso Ribeiro tweeted news of Avery's passing.
"I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away," Riberio tweeted. "He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly.
A classically trained actor and poet, Avery grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was raised by a single mother. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and first appeared onscreen as a dancer in an uncredited role in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers."
According to IMDb, after he served in the military, Avery moved to San Diego, California, where he began writing TV scripts and poetry for PBS. Before joining the military, he once said, he had dreams of being like Richard Wright and living in Paris. But life took a different turn.
"I knew I loved the arts," Avery said in an interview for the show "Unscripted." "I knew I wanted to be a writer, but the theater was something I had been involved in before."
Avery appeared in multiple TV shows and movies, including "CSI," "That '70s Show," "The Closer" and several appearances as a judge on "L.A. Law."
Indeed, with his deep, mellifluous voice, he frequently played judges, professors and doctors -- Uncle Phil began as a lawyer and eventually became a judge -- and was much in demand as a voice actor. His voice roles included Shredder in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series and James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the 1990s animated series version of "Iron Man."
He most recently appeared in Zach Braff's new film, "Wish I Was Here," which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month.
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