Clarence Williams III, 'The Mod Squad's' Linc, dies at 81

Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series 'œThe Mod Squad'ť and Prince's father in 'œPurple Rain,'ť has died. He was 81.

Williams died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer, his manager Allan Mindel said Sunday. Tributes came quickly on social media from both those who worked with Williams and those who admired him for his trailblazing roles and impactful performances.

'œTales from the Hood'ť director Rusty Cundieff tweeted that his sadness over Williams' passing, 'œcannot be overstated. His artistry and sheer coolness was extraordinary. I will forever be in his debt for his brilliant performance in Tales From the Hood. Loved working with him! Blessed travels good sir!'ť

Lenny Kravitz wrote on Twitter, 'œWhen I was a kid growing up in NYC Clarence Williams III was a face on TV that I identified with and that inspired me. From the Mod Squad, to Purple Rain and Sugar Hill, he always performed with dynamic energy. Rest in power, king.'ť

Director Peyton Reed tweeted that he worked with Williams on the TV movie 'œThe Love Bug'ť in 1995.

'œI had grown up watching him as Linc in '~The Mod Squad' and thought he was the epitome of cool. Turns out he was. Rest In Peace, Clarence,'ť Reed wrote.

A native of New York, Williams career spanned over five decades in theater, television and film. He was born into a creative family in 1939 and raised by his musical grandparents. His grandfather was a jazz composer and pianist, his father a musician and his mother, Eva Taylor, a singer and actress. He got his acting start on Broadway after a stint as a paratrooper and received a Tony nomination for his role in William Hanley's 'œSlow Dance on the Killing Ground'ť in 1964.

His breakout role would come with 'œThe Mod Squad,'ť which he led with Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. Bill Cosby had seen Williams perform and told Aaron Spelling he should consider him for the role of Linc. The show ran from on ABC from 1968 through 1973. A trailblazing show for attempting to portray the hippie generation of the time, 'œThe Mod Squad'ť was a star-maker for all three. But roles were not quick to follow for Williams.

He appeared on Broadway opposite Maggie Smith in Tom Stoppard's 'œNight and Day'ť in 1979 before getting cast as the troubled father in 'œPurple Rain,'ť which came out in 1984.

Director John Frankenheimer would become a frequent collaborator. They first teamed up for his adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 'œ52 Pick-Up'ť at a time when Williams was not having much luck in Hollywood and crashing on Cosby's couch to keep a roof over his head.

'œHe asked me to read for the part of one of the blackmailers, but after only four lines, he told me to stop,'ť Williams recalled in a 1999 interview. 'œI thought it was all over, but he said, '~Have your agent call me. It will be a 10-week shoot. Thank you for coming in.' That was it.'ť

Williams also appeared in Frankenheimer's 'œAgainst the Wall,'ť 'œReindeer Games'ť and some episodes of 'œTales from the Crypt.'ť

Williams could command a variety of genres, including comedy. He played a drug lord opposite Dave Chappelle in 'œHalf Baked" and stole scenes in Keenen Ivory Wayans' blaxploitation parody film 'œI'm Gonna Git You Sucka.'ť He also had a recurring role as the FBI agent in David Lynch's 'œTwin Peaks'ť who tells Agent Cooper he's been suspended.

Other film roles included 'œTales from the Hood,'ť 'œDeep Cover,'ť 'œSugar Hill, 'œThe General's Daughter,'ť Lee Daniels' 'œThe Butler'ť and an uncredited role in 'œAmerican Gangster.'ť And he had many, many television appearances on everything from 'œMiami Vice'ť and 'œHill Street Blues'ť to 'œEverybody Hates Chris'ť and 'œJustified.'ť

He was married to the actress Gloria Foster from 1967 to 1984.

Williams never fretted over his longtime association with 'œThe Mod Squad," though.

'œAll most people know about me is the two hours they've invested in a movie theater or the time spent in front of their TV,'ť he said in an interview in 1999. 'œThere's so much entertainment out there right now, it's difficult to break through and become part of the national consciousness. It's nice to be recognized, and I have no problem with it at all.'ť