Jonathan Van Ness Honors "Sweet" Queer Eye Alum Tom Jackson After His Death

Jonathan Van Ness is paying tribute to a member of the Queer Eye family.

Days after it was announced that season one alum Tom Jackson had died, the show's hair expert reflected on his passing.

"He's such a sweet person, and obviously anytime you lose anyone it's really sad," Jonathan exclusively told E! News at TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney's 365th Day of Girlhood celebration in New York March 13. "I love his family. Like, his daughter is so sweet. Chandler is a grandson, so sweet. So, just sending all of our love and our prayers to their family as they go through this rough time."

Tom died on March 3 following his battle with metastatic adenocarcinoma, according to his obituary. He was 63 years old. Queer Eye's official social media accounts informed fans of Tom's death March 8. 

"It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to a member of our Queer Eye family," an Instagram post from the Netflix series read. "Rest in peace, Tom Jackson."

After hearing the news, several of the show's stars expressed their condolences. Jonathan wrote "RIP Tom" in the comments, and fashion expert Tan France noted this is "such incredibly sad news." Home designer Bobby Berk added, "RIP Tom. Having a Redneck Margarita in your honor."

Tom appeared in the reboot's very first episode "You Can't Fix Ugly," which premiered in 2018. 

"A highlight of Tom's life was being cast on the Netflix show, 'Queer Eye,'" his obituary read. "He enjoyed the notoriety and shared his experience with whoever would listen!"

The obituary noted the truck driver from Georgia is survived by his daughter Katie Phelps, his grandsons Chandler and Watson Phelps, his sisters Kozetta (Jeff) Stewart and Jackie Lynn Childers and several other family members. It also stated that a celebration of life was held on March 12. 

"In lieu of flowers," the obituary read, "please watch season 1, episode 1 of Queer Eye on Netflix and tell others about it in honor of Tom."