Just a few short years later, she was cast in Season 4 of "Family Matters" as Myra, who for some reason, sees Urkel as the man of her dreams. Thomas died December 22 in Manhattan,. 15 Reginald VelJohnson Reginald VelJohnson 's acting career has really come full circle. Throughout the 90's, Family Matters dominated Friday nights on ABC.The show was filled with fond memories that most fans will probably never forget. Cherie Johnson played Maxine Johnson who was Lauras best friend, but was sometimes portrayed as a bad influence as a result of her neglectful parents. Per Broadway World, his film debut was alongside Sammy Davis Jr., whom he also appeared with on Broadway, in the 1966 movie "A Man Called Adam." In 2006, a false news report of a former child star's death by suicide was spread within the online world via a fabricated Associated Press story that was passed from inbox to inbox. She was only 33 years old. In 1975, Mekka received a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in "The Lieutenant." Jaleel seemed to then believe Henry, based on what happened next: Dont worry about that part. I must admit that I understand Jaleels Googling suspicions about psychic medium, Tyler Henry. Reginald VelJohnson played Carl Winslow, the familys patriarch who made a living as a cop and was always annoyed by his nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel. Their mother subsequently married John Reilly. Naya Rivera was introduced to acting as a child star after she got a role in the sitcom show Family Matters. He appeared in a few episodes of the show. She is reportedly working on a short film called Absent in the Present. She also has a YouTube channel and she is available to send messages to fans on the app Cameo. This eventually turned into a Broadway career, and sheeven founded her own theater company in 1968 called Amas. The Family Matters character who is famous for walking up the stairs in Season 4 never to come back down again ( until that was debunked by YouTuber Vee Infuso) is the Winslow's youngest. Confident, hilarious, and kick-a** fighting skills, Carry drew in audiences who couldn't help but fall in love with Sho'Nuff. Eddie dreamt of being a basketball star but had horrible grades all throughout high school. His character was described as totally dim-witted, and he often annoyed Steve Urkel by saying the silliest things. Actress Michelle Thomas, who had television roles in The Young & The Restless, The Cosby Show and Family Matters, has died of cancer at age 29. VelJohnson had his breakthrough role[5] as Sgt. He also appeared in 6 "Police Academy" movies and the TV series. Eddie Mekka, top right, died in Newhall on Nov. 27, 2021, at age 69, according to a friend's social media post. All we know is we have no record of prayers being answered. Of course, most Family Matters fans remember "Steve Urkel's" fascination with "Laura Winslow" and how his special bond with the 'Winslow family' was one of the most memorable dynamics of the show. But during the fourth season, Judy seemingly vanished and was never mentioned by anyone again. Portrayed by Jaimee Foxworth, the precocious youngest member of the family was adorable and a great way to reel in younger viewers. In 2017, he played Darryl on the CBS sitcom Me, Myself & I alongside Bobby Moynihan. "Don't worry about that part. She has been away from the entertainment world since 2011, and many have wondered where she is now. VelJohnson is known for playing police officers in films and on television. Thomas was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 23 . White revisited Urkel after all in 2019, when he voiced him in the cartoon Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? The character's obsession with Urkel along with her jealousy toward Laura made her polarizing among fans and created some entertaining moments. He was 29 years old. She often portrayed the character as a tough mom with a witty sense of humor, but was also a no-nonsense wife to her husband, Carl. The network TV landscape of the 1980s and the 1990s was all about family-oriented sitcoms, with the occasional exception such as Married with Children, which was about a family but courted controversy with its more risque episodes. teacher in Urkel's swim class. Matters and landed the role of Callie on The Young and the Restless. She Jo Marie was a main cast member since day one, having first appeared on the show in the Season 1 premiere airing on Sept. 22, 1989, titled "The Mama Who Came to Dinner." As Harriette, the family matriarch, Jo Marie played a strong character who was able to exert a positive influence on her police officer husband, Carl (Reginald VelJohnson . 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Content created and supplied by: LawBlessing (via Opera DreamFlix TV is a collaboration between "Family Matters" cast members JoMarie Payton, Kellie Shanygne Williams and Darius McCary, along with entertainment industry veterans, Ervin Williams, ShahRon Vaulx and producer Peggy . "Few singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer!" The Cast of 'Outer Banks' : Everything to Know, Our Favorite (Underrated!) She married former U.S. army reservist Hannibal Jackson that same year, and together they welcomed a daughter, Hannah, in 2010 and a son, John, in 2012. over and got the girl of his dreams. Characters who have died in the Family Matters. She was my old co-star fromFamily Mattersand she died from stomach cancer quickly. She wasnt a series regular but she made quite an impression on audiences. "Come on, man. cancer-related complications. In 1999, she joined Moesha's season 4 to play recurring character Mrs. Campbell. On December 22, 1998, Thomas died in New York City from desmoplastic small round cell tumor. While he was quite incompetent at his job, he had the patience of a saint, being that he was one of the few characters who tolerated Urkel. Clip The sneak peek also features White, 44, reminiscing on his. Bryton McClure was only 4 years old when he started playing Richie Crawford on Family Matters' second season. Known for. "We have all lost a dear, dear brother," said Reginald VelJohnson, who played Carl Winslow. Her career however was short-lived as she passed away in 1998 at the young age of 30 years after battling with stomach cancer for a while. The classic TGIF sitcom Family Matters had a consistent main cast until mom Harriette Winslow was abruptly recast during the final season. Kellie shaygne Williams also died. Jaleel White, who played . tweetedGloria Estefan. [15] He has never married and has no children. Thenthe 21-year-old psychic claimed that he didnt even know who Jaleel White a.k.a. Rosetta Lenoir was one of the main cast members of the comedy sitcom Family Matters. Her most notable role on television was that of Santana Lopez on the musical comedy series "Glee." and "Whoa, mama." White has continued to guest star on a variety of television shows like Trial and Error and Fresh Off the Boat. In 2019, he reprised his role of Steve Urkel on the TV series, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? He also appeared on the The Big Show Show in 2020 and the Disney Channel series Ravens Home. He has a daughter named Samaya White, who he had with ex-girlfriend Bridget Hardy. He also joined fellow Family Matters alumni Kellie Williams, Jo Marie Payton and Darius McCrary at the 2022 '90s Con event. Singer and actor Johnny Brown had a megawatt smile that was perfect for stage and television. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. Actor Natalie Desselle-Reid, known for her roles in "Madea's Big Happy Family," "Eve" and "B*A*P*S*," died Monday at the age of 53. After appearing in all 8 seasons, Mekka went on to a myriad of guest roles in both movies and series, including two different characters on "Family Matters." "This is embarrassing, I don't even recognize you," Tyler tells him. She was a hilarious older female version of Urkel, and when the two started wreaking accidental havoc on the Winslows living room, spilling popcorn and breaking the coffee table, they both exclaimed, "Did we do that?" Arnold Johnson is also another cast member from the sitcom show Family Matters that died in real life. She had a lot of friends in the music industry." After the sitcom ended in 1998, Thomas portrayed Callie Rogers, an aspiring singer and love interest of Malcolm Winters, on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless. He also had a minor role in the 2002 film Like Mike. On stage, the young actress starred in . News ), Opera News is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Opera News. Adventure Comedy Drama The Winslow family deals with various misadventures, many of them caused by their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. She had a lot of friends in the music industry. he explained. One year later, her ex husband, Ryan Dorsey, said in anInstagram post, "Fly high, Rest In Peace, knowing he's doing okhe's being raised right, and he's got a lot of family and people around him that love him, and you. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. She passed away in 2002. Payton got married to her third husband Leonard Downs in 2007 and she has a daughter named Chantale France from a previous relationship. Buddy was the star of a show the Winslow family was obsessed with and Carl ended up arresting him for assault. Embed from Getty Images. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; Elsewhere and JAG. nerdy comedic neighbor of the Winslows who was always trying and failing to win You got to be messing with me, dog. "It's the end of an era.". Well talk about that part later. He was more interested in cars, dating girls and pulling silly pranks. Powell in the GameCube video game title, Die Hard: Vendetta, in 2002. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry visited the home of Jaleel White where he connected with one of White's former Family Matters co-stars. But they have been an essential function of some of the most iconic family units in small-screen comedies. He also portrayed a member of the LAPD in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film "Commando." Born in 1952 to an Armenian father and an Italian mother, Eddie Mekka told Broadway.comhegot the performing bug when he was asked to be the emcee of their variety school, so of course his next stop was the stage. Gary Menteer, a writer, director, and producer, actually started out as an actor. Family Matters Actors You May Not Know Passed Away. 'Family Matters' Alum Jo Marie Payton Claims Jaleel White Tried to 'Physically Fight' Her on Set, Reginald VelJohnson Once Walked Out on 'Family Matters' over the 'Challenge' of Working with Teens. Per his obituary inThe Hollywood Reporter, Miller's dreams of showbiz came true when he landed his first real gig as assistant to William Self at 20th Century Fox. Tragedy struck in 2020, however, when her body was found in a river after she disappeared during a boating trip with her son, Josey. Authorities state that upon entering the home they discovered a young African-American male with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Opera News furthermore does not condone the use of our platform for the purposes encouraging/endorsing hate speech, violation of human rights and/or utterances of a defamatory nature. Reginald VelJohnson (born Reginald Johnson; August 16, 1952) is an American actor. Actress Natalie Desselle Reid, who starred in the 1997 film "B.A.P.S." and played Janie Egins in the 2003-2006 sitcom "Eve," died Monday. McClure eventually became known as Bryton James, but most soap fans know him as Devon Hamilton on The Young and the Restless. According to IMDB, he has done about 1,104 episodes of the classic soap. with a rare stomach cancer in 1997 and died in 1998 at . Al Powell - Die Hard. The show, which aired from 1989 to 1998, focused on the Winslows, a family living in Chicago and their relationship with their sweet - but nerdy and annoying - neighbor, Steve Urkel. Her character was witty, sassy, smart and pretty powerful, much like her mother, Harriette. Payton also has a busy career in voice acting: She voiced The Proud Family's Suga Mama Proud, the unpredictable grandmother of protagonist Penny Proud, on Disney Channel from 2001 through 2005. ", When you think of Sherman Hemsley it might just draw an image of him getting out of a cab in front of a high-rise in Manhattan, strutting toward the door, or doing some fancy footwork in his living room as he did in the famously fun opening theme of his hit sitcom "The Jeffersons.". When Ellyria's father died, he left the family spell book hidden. Jaleel White, who portrayed Steve Urkel on the television sitcom "Family Matters," committed suicide in 2006. Hemsley continued his reign on TV, garnering guest spots on shows like, "Designing Women," "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," and 3 episodes of "Family Matters," in which he played the wise-cracking Captain Savage who has an instant connection to Urkel and cheats at golf, much to Mr. Winslow's dismay. During the golden ages of sitcoms, many hilarious shows were produced, but Family Matters stood out for various reasons. Jaimee Foxworth played Judy Winslow, Carl and Harriettes youngest daughter. Her last role was in Aide-de-Camp" in 2011. VelJohnson was hired after Gene Hackman, originally hired to play the role, became unavailable, and producers decided to hire a relatively unknown actor for the part. Hopkins made her name in film before she signed onto Family Matters. In the spring of 1998, she underwent surgery to have the lemon-sized tumor removed shortly before she landed a role on The Young and The Restless. Opera News does not consent to nor does it condone the posting of any content that violates the rights (including the copyrights) of any third party, nor content that may malign, inter alia, any religion, ethnic group, organization, gender, company, or individual. Rivera even successfully navigated her way from child actor to adult, most of those years spent on "The Bernie Mac Show" from 2002 to 2006. Johnson was popularly known for his role in Shaft, My Demon Lover and many more. Rosetta LeNoire played Estelle Winslow, who was Carls mother. "I didn't realize I was going to see . So much so that Jaleel was brought to tears. Payton also lent her voice to The Proud Family Movie, and she can be heard as Suga Mama in the show's 2023 Disney+ revival. Watch the shocking reveal in the clip above!