As the world awaits details pertaining to the untimely death of comedian Anthony “AJ” Johnson, friends and fans have flooded social media with tributes. We previously reported on the sad news of Johnson’s passing at 55, along with Ice Cube’s tribute to the actor. Johnson starred in Friday as the drug-addicted thief Ezal, and while many recognize him from that role, Johnson’s contributions to the industry have been celebrated for decades.
For those looking forward to the House Party remake, the original film also featured Johnson who was famously remembered as the partygoer with the “follow the drip” Jheri Curl. Johnson also made appearances in How To Be a Player, Menace to Society, BAPS, Martin, Moesha, and much more.
Bow Wow wanted to share his memories of Johnson and stated that the late comedian was the person who discovered him.
“Peace to AJ Johnson. Thank you, man, for just, you know, the comedic relief that you been giving us [from] Friday to House Party 3 to you name it,” said Bow. “A little history on myself, some things you don’t know about the night I was discovered in ’93 by Snoop and Dre at the concert. It was actually AJ Johnson who found me in the crowd and picked me to get on the stage. He was The Chronic Tour emcee during the intermissions.”
“He was the one who pointed me out,” Bow continued. “From there, that’s when Daz [Dillinger] found me and walked me to the back. So, if it wasn’t for AJ Johnson’s eyes and him picking me out of the crowd out of twenty thousand people in Ohio, I don’t think there would have ever been a Bow Wow.”
The rapper then offered his condolences to Johnson’s loved one. “You will truly be missed. You’ll definitely go down in history as one of the greatest.” We continue to send our sincerest condolences, as well. Watch Bow Wow share his story below.