Nathaniel Taylor, who played Rollo on 'Sanford and Son' dies

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Nathaniel Taylor, the actor best known as Rollo Lawson, the street-smart best friend of the son on the 1970s sitcom "Sanford and Son," has died.

Taylor's son Kaedi Taylor says his dad died Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after a heart attack. The elder Taylor was 80.

Taylor went on to act in other shows and movies. But his son said Taylor never tired of people recognizing him as Rollo.

The fast-talking but good-hearted Rollo dressed in colorful suits and hats and was the sidekick to Lamont Sanford.

Taylor also played roles on shows such as "The Redd Foxx Show," ''Police Story" and "What's Happening" and Blaxpoitation films such as "Dynamite" and "Trouble Man." He reprised his role as Rollo in the 1980s spinoff "Sanford."