BRENTWOOD, CA - JANUARY 23: Actor Robert Guillaume attends the celebrity opening night of the Broadway bound show "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!" at the Brentwood Theatre on January 23, 2006 in Brentwood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

The voice of Rafiki in The Lion King and the star of Benson passed away at the age of 89..

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(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Robert Guillaume, Emmy-winning actor for 'Soap,' dies

Robert Guillaume, who rose from squalid beginnings in St. Louis slums to become a star in stage musicals and win Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the sharp-tongued butler in the TV sitcoms "Soap" and "Benson," has died at age 89. Guillaume died at home Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to his widow, Donna Brown Guillaume.