Veteran comedy actress Natalie Desselle-Reid, known for her roles in films like “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and “B.A.P.S,” has died. She was 53.
Desselle-Reid passed away Monday after a battle with colon cancer, according to a statement posted on her Instagram account. “It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning,” the statement reads. “She was a bright light in this world. A queen. An extraordinary mother and wife.”
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A family member told TMZ she was diagnosed with the cancer earlier this year. Desselle-Reid spent her final days in hospice care and was surrounded by family when she passed, according to TMZ.
Fans and colleagues in the film industry offered their condolences on social media following her death, according to Newsweek. Actress and singer Holly Robinson Peete, the daughter of Desselle-Reid’s former manager Dolores Robinson, also shared the news and her condolences on social media.
“Just absolutely decimated by this news,” Peete wrote on Twitter. “Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning. I got to know her when my mom was managing her.” (RELATED: Hollywood Star Receives Touching Tribute After Dying From Cancer At The Age Of 43)
Deselle-Reid was best known for her roles as Tammy in Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and as Mickey in the 1997 comedy film “B.A.P.S.” She also starred in the 1997 live adaption of “Cinderella,” the 1997 comedy film “How to Be a Player” and the sitcom “Eve,” according to CNN.
She is survived by her husband Leonard and her three children, Sereno, Summer and Sasha, according to Hollywood Reporter.