'B.A.P.S.' star Natalie Desselle-Reid dies at 53

Actress Natalie Desselle-Reid, known for roles in Eve, B.A.P.S. and Madea's Big Happy Family, has died. She was 53.

Desselle-Reid passed away due to colon cancer, according to a statement posted on her Instagram page on Monday. "It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning from colon cancer," the statement read. "She was a bright light in this world. A queen. An extraordinary mother and wife."

"Her diverse career touched so many, and she will be loved forever," the statement continued. "Naturally, we are grieving and processing this profound loss, and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Natalie Desselle Reid (@nataliedessellereid)

Desselle-Reid played Mickey in the 1997 film B.A.P.S. alongside Halle Berry. Her other roles included appearances in Def Jam's How to Be a Player and Set It Off. Her last acting credit came from her role in the series Ya Killin' Me in 2017. She worked as a producer on a short titled Barrier, which is currently in post-production.

Many people took to social media to mourn the loss of Desselle-Reid after news of her passing spread.

Brandy, who worked alongside Desselle-Reid in Cinderella in 1997, wrote "Rest in Paradise #NatalieDesselleReid. Sending my prayers to her family and all those that are hurting."

Eve, who worked with Desselle-Reid on her self-titled TV series from 2003 - 2006, wrote, "I can’t believe it. @nataliedessellereid. Sending prayers, love and strength to her family. Rest in Pace."

Halle Berry paid tribute to her B.A.P.S. co-star with many posts on Instagram and Twitter. She said she is "in total shock, completely heartbroken, gonna need a minute." Viola Davis commented on Berry's Instagram post, writing, "Wow!! RIP.... sooo sorry," later sharing a post to her own Instagram. Taraji P Henson added to the announcement, "MY GOD!!!!!!!!" while Questlove said, "condolences." The Voicecontestant and singer Tamara Jade shared a story of her very brief encounter with Natalie in an Uber Pool, writing, "She was one of the only plus sized black actresses I had to look up to as a kid and I’m so blessed that she spoke into my life on a random day in a random Uber pool! I hope to make her proud from heaven! She told me I would be a star and everything she said would happen is happening."

In another post, Halle Berry shared her own memories of Natalie, though she said she was still processing the devastating news. "As I continue to read all of your kind words, memories of Natalie continue to flood back to me," the actress wrote. She said that Robert Townsend "facilitated our divine connection by uniting us in roles that would change our lives and impact our culture for generations to come." Berry added that she is "forever grateful for that moment" and said that Desselle-Reid was "one of the most precious people I've ever known." She said the second they met, their hearts were intertwined, and they had a connection that was unexplainable.

"Natalie represented actual Black women, not what Black women are perceived to be. For that she was often underrated, passed over - deprived of the platform she truly deserved," Berry wrote. "But her light continues to shine through the people who grew up watching her, the people who knew her best and those of us who loved her."

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Berry also said they would "hoot and holler" over all the B.A.P.S. tributes they came across and send them back and forth to one another, "overwhelmed that our on-screen friendship meant as much to you as it did to us. She was especially humbled by that, as am I," she added.

Berry posted a clip from B.A.P.S. on Twitter and wrote, "I mentioned how damn funny she was, right? #RIP #NatalieDesselleReid."

Bow Wow, who worked with Desselle-Reid in 2011 on Madea’s Big Happy Family, tweeted, "Sending my love and condolences out to Natalie Desselle family. Had the pleasure of working with her on Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family. Sending my love."

Actress Holly Robinson Peete tweeted, "Just absolutely decimated by this news...Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning. I got to know her when my mom was managing her. She will be so missed...sending out prayers to her children and husband. Rest In Peace, Sweet Girl.”

Desselle-Reid's manager, Dolores Robinson, said that the late actress was "a bright light, an amazing actress and comedienne but also an awesome mother & wife."

Desselle-Reid is survived by her husband, Leonard, and her children, Sereno, Summer and Sasha.

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