We were all heartbroken over William's death [1] on This Is Us [2], but it was particularly emotional for Sterling K. Brown. While the actor is usually pretty private about his personal life, during a recent Q&A, he opened up about how William and Randall's father-son relationship [3] really struck a chord with him. After losing his own dad, Sterling Brown, at age 10, he admitted that "saying goodbye to [William] was like saying goodbye to him all over again."

As a teenager, he actually changed his name from Kelby to Sterling [4] to honor his father. "He gave me 10 of the best years that a kid could ever have," he told People. "And I never doubt that he loved me unequivocally, unconditionally. Oh he loved TV. He loved entertainment, and so the fact that I became an actor and this is what I do for a living, like I know he's smiling from ear to ear."