Mr Avery, who played Uncle Phil on the show, passed away aged 65. He also provided the voice of Shredder in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series.
Mr Ribeiro posted on Twitter: "I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly."
The actor, who played his son Carlton Banks on the American sitcom, also took to his Facebook page to pay tribute to the actor.
He described Mr Avery as a "truly special man" and said he was a "wonderful father figure" in his life.
See tweets and facebook updates below!
Source: Daily Star
