King of the Hill creators pay tribute to star Jonathan Joss after death in Texas shooting

King of the Hill creators are paying tribute to voice actor Jonathan Joss, who has been killed in a Texas shooting aged 59.

Joss, who played John Redcorn in the animated sitcom and also starred in Parks and Recreation, was reportedly shot multiple times over the weekend after a disagreement with a neighbour.

San Antonio police found Joss near the road with gunshot wounds, according to Variety. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooter has been caught and charged with first-degree murder. His bond has been set at $200,000 (£148,000) and his court date is scheduled for August.

Joss replaced Victor Aaron as the voice of John Redcorn after the original King of the Hill star died in a 1996 car accident. He was in the show from season two to season 13, which aired in 2010, and had recorded episodes for the reboot, which was announced in 2023 and is set to air later this year.

Creators Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson shared a joint statement on Joss’ death, which read: “Jonathan Joss brought King of the Hill’s ‘John Redcorn’ to life for over a dozen seasons, including in the upcoming revival.

“His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan’s friends and family.”

In Parks and Recreation, he played the recurring role of Chief Ken Hotate opposite Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

Offerman, who played Ron Swanson, addressed the “terrible tragedy”, telling People that the show’s cast have “been texting together about it all day and we’re just heartbroken”.

He continued: “Jonathan was such a sweet guy and we loved having him as our Chief Ken Hotate.”

Joss’s other credits included Western remakes True Grit and The Magnificent Seven as well as TV shows Ray Donovan and Tulsa King.

Parks and Recreation actor Chris Pratt, who also starred with Joss in Antoine Fuqua’s 2016 Magnificent Seven remake, added: “Always such a kind dude. Sad to see. Prayers up. Hug your loved ones.”

Fans have also been responding to Joss’s death, with many praising his performance as Redcorn, with one calling him “pretty much the only contemporary Native representation I had in comedy growing up”.

One fan wrote: “Probably the funniest Native character in cartoon history and a lot of that was on Jonathan Joss’s pitch perfect rezzy uncle performance. RIP to one of the best to ever do it.”

“Jonathan Joss... unfathomably sad. Sending all my thoughts to his loved ones,” another said on X/Twitter.