Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister’s death certificate reveals the actor legally changed his middle name to ‘Debo’ in homage to his famous Friday character
Friday star Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister legally changed his middle name to pay homage to his most famous character shortly before his death in December.
Lister’s death certificate revealed the actor’s name was changed from Tommy Duane Lister Jr. to Tommy Debo Lister, according to TMZ who obtained a copy of the document.
Deebo (spelled differently) was the name of the neighborhood bully Lister played in the 1995 Ice Cube and Chris Tucker comedy Friday.
Homage: Friday star Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister legally changed his middle name to pay homage to his most famous character shortly before his death in December, according to TMZ who obtained a copy of the document (Pictured in 2013)
Lister’s manager told TMZ that the six-foot-five actor decided to make the official switch to honor his character about six months before he died.
Tommy’s cause of death was listed as ‘deferred’ on the death certificate, meaning that nothing has been determined yet and more tests are being conducted.
In early December, the actor was found dead at his apartment in Marina del Rey at the age of 62.
At the time, those close to Tommy believed he passed away due to COVID-19 related symptoms thought that has yet to be confirmed by the medical examiner.
Key role: Lister’s manager told TMZ that the six-foot-five actor decided to make the official switch to honor his character about six months before he died
Lister appeared visibly ill in his last interview which was give just days before his death and exclusively obtained by DailyMailTV.
The actor spoke to TV and radio personality Brandon Jay on December 4 and during the conversation had a hoarse voice with a cough.
The star also wore a mask for the entire interview which was conducted over Zoom from his apartment – the same location where his body would be found a short while later.
‘I’ve got so much stuff on my plate. Hollywood gonna crank all the way back up to January. Hollywood gonna go all over the world, gonna crank it up,’ he said during the interview. ‘And they got the vaccine right. So the vaccine gives you 12 months, I’m taking that vaccine, I’m taking it.
Questions: While Tommy’s manager said in December that he died of COVID related symptoms, Tommy’s cause of death was listed as ‘deferred’ on the death certificate (Pictured in 2012)
After his death, Tiny’s manager Cindy Cowan told DailyMailTV that Lister died of Covid related symptoms and confirmed he had been diagnosed with having the virus earlier this year.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said that Lister was discovered during a welfare check after his friends and associates didn’t hear from him.
In addition to his role as Deebo, Lister also appeared in films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember, Jackie Brown, The Fifth Element and The Dark Knight. He was also involved with professional wrestling, and played opposite Hulk Hogan in 1989’s No Holds Barred.
Tragic: Lister appeared visibly ill in his last interview which was give just days before his death and exclusively obtained by DailyMailTV