John Christopher Jones dead: Broadway legend dies after Parkinson's battle

Actor John Christopher Jones has passed away at the age of 77, following a longstanding battle with Parkinson's disease, his family has confirmed with a heavy heart. The American actor, who was in more than a dozen Broadway shows, including Hurlyburly, Beauty and the Beast and The Goodbye Girl, died on September 15 in New York from complications of the illness.

His wife, MaryBeth Coudal, announced his passing on social media. She said he battled Parkinson's for more than two decades, but it "never allowed his diminishing abilities to dampen his extraordinary creative output and unwavering enthusiasm for the theatre." According to MaryBeth, her husband was writing a memoir at the time of his death.

John has also starred in a range of Hollywood films and TV shows including the 2004 horror movie The Village alongside Joaquin Phoenix. He also acted in the hit shows, The Supranos and Law and Order.

The star was born into a theatrical family in Massachusetts, and he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the early 1970s.

He was also the founding member of Shakespeare & Company in the state where he grew up.

He's survived by his children Hayden Coudal Jones, Catherine Elizabeth Jones, and Charlotte Louise Jones. He also has 18 nephews and nieces, and six great-nieces and nephews.

Despite his Parkinson's diagnosis in March 2003, the star continued to act for 20 years.

His inspirational efforts to continue acting as his illness progressed were at he heart of a documentary called Me to Play, which was released in 2024.