'The Waltons' star Ralph Waite dead at 85

Ralph Waite, who played the father in the hit show, The Waltons and who starred as the father of Mark Harmon's Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, has died at the age of 85. He passed away Thursday, Feb. 13 in his South Palm Desert home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Steve Gordon; the Waite family's accountant confirmed the sad news of the famous actor.  

Waite spent nine seasons as the father of a rural Depression-era family on CBS. The family drama, The Waltons was a Top 20 hit in the mid-1970s, and fans of the show will always remember how the family would say good-night: "Good night, John-Boy."

Waite was born in New York, and starred in the movies Cool Hand Luke and Five Easy Pieces. He also appeared on Broadway, and earned an Emmy nomination for his role as a slave ship's third mate in the 1977 TV miniseries, Roots. Waite also starred in Murder One, Carnivàle, and Bonanza.

RIP Ralph Waite.