Yesterday, Hollywood unfortunately learned of the passing of veteran actress Natalie Desselle-Reid. The actress, best known for her roles in B.A.P.S. and Madea’s Big Happy Family and Eve, passed away at the age of 53 following a short battle with colon cancer. Since news of her passing broke, fans have and celebrities have taken to social media to pay tribute to Desselle-Reid and, now, former co-stars Halle Berry and Eve, along with others, are also paying tribute to her.
Halle Berry famously played the Nisi to Natalie Desselle-Reid’s Mickey in B.A.P.S., and the two made for a memorable movie pair. Upon hearing of her former co-star’s death, Berry took to Instagram to express her shock over the news and shared a sweet gif of their two characters:
Desselle-Reid also worked closely with actress, rapper and former The Talk host Eve, as the two worked together for three years on Eve’s eponymous sitcom. Like Berry, Eve was also shocked to hear of Desselle-Reid’s passing and, in an Instagram post, she remembered her for her “light and spirit” and asked fans to extend prayers to the late actress’ family:
Grey’s Anatomy star Jason George also worked alongside Natalie Desselle-Reid and Eve on the UPN sitcom. In a Twitter post, he called Desselle-Reid “effortlessly hilarious” and “inherently empathetic.” He also shared a sweet throwback photo of the Eve cast:
Rapper and actor Bow Wow, who starred alongside Desselle-Reid in Madea’s Big Happy Family, sent his prayers to her family. He also said it was a pleasure to work with her on the film.
In addition to these roles, Natalie Desselle-Reid may be best known for her role in the television movie, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. The saw her play the cruel but hilarious stepsister Minerva to Brandy’s Cinderella. Brandy paid tribute to her co-star on social media and sent her condolences to her loved ones:
Throughout her career, Desselle-Reid carved out a place for herself within both the realms of film and TV by fashioning herself as a true character actor. She took on varied roles that not only allowed her to work with a wide range of stars but that also allowed her to embody different kinds of people.
And in the process, she made a place for herself in the hearts of viewers. Whether it was through her roles in films like B.A.P.S. and How To Be A Player or her appearances in shows like Eve or For Your Love, she was known and beloved by plenty of fans.
It’s honestly still hard to believe that Natalie Desselle-Reid is no longer with us, and it’s still sad that we can no longer expect more art from her. However, it’s great to see that so many are coming together to pay tribute to her in such a loving way.
We here at CinemaBlend continue to extend our condolences to Natlie Desselle-Reid’s loved ones during this time.
