65-year-old actor had undergone open-heart surgery. Actor James Avery - who played Uncle Phil in TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - has died. The 65-year-old's publicist told Sky News he died from complications following open-heart surgery in Glendale, California, on Tuesday afternoon. Fellow actor Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Avery's son, Carlton Banks, in the classic 1990s comedy series, paid tribute on his Facebook page.