SiR Pays Tribute to Jonathan Joss, the Real-Life John Redcorn, after his passing

SiR Takes To Twitter To Pay Homage to Jonathan Joss, the Voice of John Redcorn

When singer-songwriter SiR tweeted “RIP to the real John Redcorn,” it wasn’t just a tribute. Additionally, it was a moment of resonance. Jonathan Joss was the voice actor behind the character John Redcorn on King of the Hill. This week, he was killed in a shooting in San Antonio. But for SiR and many of his fans, John Redcorn wasn’t just a character—he was a symbol of unspoken pain, emotional exile, and the type of love that lives in the shadows.

The tweet was short. The impact was deep. Because if you know SiR’s music, you know his 2019 song “John Redcorn” reintroduced the cartoon figure as a metaphor for modern-day heartbreak.

The Song That Made John Redcorn Real

Released on SiR’s Chasing Summer album, “John Redcorn” took the animated character—a Native American side figure from a 2000s cartoon—and turned him into a haunting mirror for men living in emotional limbo.

In King of the Hill, Redcorn is the biological father of Nancy Gribble’s son. However, Nancy stays with her oblivious husband Dale. Redcorn’s pain is played for laughs on TV, but SiR saw something else.

“Every night I’m dreamin’ / I’m dreamin’ of you.”

Through soulful falsetto and atmospheric production, SiR turned John Redcorn into a Black man coping with rejection, silence, and secondhand love. The character became a vessel. A meme. A mood.

The animated music video released in April 2020 even mimicked King of the Hill‘s animation style—a stylized, visual “thank you” to the story that inspired it.

Why SiR’s Tribute Hits So Hard

Jonathan Joss’s death is tragic on its own. But for SiR fans, this wasn’t just another celebrity passing. This was the loss of someone who unknowingly became a cornerstone of one of the most emotionally resonant songs in modern R&B.

When it comes to animated sitcoms, most people never think of who voices the characters. However, due to what Joss’ character was known for, John Redcorn was always notable. The decision of SiR to build a song around the theme of the character made him that much more popular.

As a result, Jonathan Joss’ death would obviously bring the character back to the forefront. That, paired with the impending reboot of King of the Hill has “John Redcorn” back in the headlines.

SiR didn’t just reference John Redcorn—he immortalized him. And by tweeting, “RIP to the real John Redcorn,” he connected the dots between fiction and reality, between animation and artistry, between voice and soul.

From Fiction to Cultural Archetype

John Redcorn had long been more than a cartoon. On social media, fans have long shared memes of Redcorn standing in the rain, alone in a bedroom, watching Nancy from afar. His story quietly echoed real-life experiences of emotional exile: being close but not chosen, present but not prioritized.

SiR’s 2019 interpretation transformed those silent screenshots into spiritual testimony. For many men—especially Black men navigating emotional complexity—John Redcorn became symbolic.

So when Jonathan Joss died, this tweet hit differently. It wasn’t just RIP to a voice actor. It was mourning the emotional weight carried through a fictional man, given life through music.

The Tragedy Behind the Tribute

Jonathan Joss was killed in a shooting on June 1 in San Antonio. His husband called it a hate crime. Police say there’s no evidence of that—yet. The story is still unfolding. But the internet wasn’t talking about suspects when SiR posted his tribute. They were talking about the feeling.

In addition, they were remembering that song.

They were quoting lyrics.

They were calling SiR’s track prophetic.

“And I just keep getting played like I’m John Redcorn…”

The work that Jonathan Joss did, as John Redcorn, inspired a piece of pop culture history. As a result, when SiR learned of the tragic news of the character’s portrayer, he paid homage to the man.

Conflicting Reports and a Controversial Narrative

The circumstances surrounding Joss’s death remain mired in conflicting narratives. His husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleges that the shooting was a homophobic hate crime. Thus, citing years of threats and harassment. According to de Gonzales, the suspect—56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja—not only hurled slurs during the confrontation but had also previously been linked to violent incidents. This included the burning of their home and the death of their dog.

De Gonzales’s emotional testimony claims that Joss saved his life by pushing him out of the way before being fatally shot.

However, San Antonio Police stated on June 3 that they found “no evidence whatsoever” that the killing was linked to Joss’s sexual orientation. They acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations. However, they stopped short of classifying the murder as a hate crime. Still, though they remain open to new evidence.

Released on Bail: Public Outcry and Safety Concerns

Ceja has since been released on a $200,000 bond, a move that has alarmed some residents and supporters of Joss’s family. He is under house arrest with conditions that include no access to firearms and random drug testing. De Gonzales has publicly voiced concerns about safety and justice, insisting that the story is far from over.

Social media platforms—especially X—have become battlegrounds for public opinion. Some users rally around the hate crime narrative, urging officials to dig deeper. Others cite the police findings and neighbor accounts as justification for treating the event as a personal dispute rather than a targeted attack.

A Legacy Beyond a Sitcom

Jonathan Joss’s portrayal of John Redcorn was more than just a voice acting gig—it was a cultural anchor for many Native and non-Native fans alike. His contribution to television, and the rare representation he brought, made a lasting impact.

For SiR, “John Redcorn” wasn’t just a character—it was a metaphor, an emotional touchstone. His music gave the animated figure a second life, and with Joss’s passing, that emotional thread has only deepened.

The tragic death of Jonathan Joss is a loss not just for fans of King of the Hill, but for those who saw in him a rare voice of authenticity. As the investigation continues, so does the mourning—and the music that keeps his memory alive.