Our prayers go out to the great actor Will Smith and his family for their loss !!

Hollywood actor Will Smith’s father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr, has died. His death was confirmed by his ex-wife, Sheree Fletcher.

On the fear of his father if he ever took drugs, he is quoted as saying: ‘I felt my father would kill me. Literally.’ Will has also previously praised his dad as a ‘steady and positive figure’ in his life. He once said: ‘Dad was tough but not tyrannical.

‘He kept me in line. He’d get this look that said, ‘One more step, Will, and it’ll get ugly.

‘He was an independent businessman – he set up refrigeration in supermarkets – and he always provided for us. He’s a steady and positive figure in my life.’

Sheree, 48, posted an old snap of Will, Willard and Trey on her Instagram feed, and remembered the impressive ‘work ethic’ of her former father-in-law, which influenced his ‘legacy’.

‘We’re gonna miss you Daddio! You lived & played by your own rules…you truly were 1 of a kind!’ she wrote.

‘You instilled discipline, and a work ethic that has created a legacy in your honor! (Pic left to right: Will Smith II; Will Smith III (Trey); Will Smith I (Daddio!) #RIPDaddio #donttellmetheresnothingyoucantdo #WillSMITH1.’

Willard was a refrigeration engineer who served in the US Air Force, and according to Will Smith: A Biography, he put his son off drugs by driving him around areas of Philadelphia where addicts lived.

The Men In Black star once told Essence Magazine: ‘Dad was tough but not tyrannical. He kept me in line. He’d get this look that said, “One more step, Will, and it’ll get ugly.”

‘He was an independent businessman – he set up refrigeration in supermarkets – and he always provided for us. He’s a steady and positive figure in my life.’

Jaden Smith, Will’s 18-year-old son, uploaded a blank Instagram post last night, but did not directly comment on the death of his grandfather.