When Donna Summer died of lung cancer on May 17, 2012, many singers and industry professionals mourned her, some attending her service, others voicing their feelings on social media. Family Matters Myra Monkhouse TV Series 1993-1998 55 episodes Malcolm & Eddie Brooke Bellamy TV Series 1997 1 episode Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man Sister Emily (voice) TV Series 1996 1 episode Thea Keanda Kendea TV Series 1994 2 episodes Hangin' with the Homeboys Telemarketing Operator 1991 The Cosby Show Justine Phillips TV Series 1988-1990 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?" He played Peaches in several episodes of the series "Girlfriends" from 2002 until 2004 and voiced Timber Wolf in 16 episodes of "Legion of Super Heroes." Also an accomplished dancer, he was in the original cast of "The Music Man" on Broadway and appeared in several musical adaptations, including "Hello,Dolly!" But, like many shows that found success in the 90s, Family Matters and its legacy continues to live on. Carl was seriously irritated by his pesky neighbor Urkel and his annoying antics. He also acted in Big Fat Liar starring Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who, Dreamgirls, Grown Ups and Bones. Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originated on ABC from September 1989 to 1997 and later was moved to CBS from 1998. Payton got married to her third husband Leonard Downs in 2007 and she has a daughter named Chantale France from a previous relationship. From 1993 to 1998, she portrayed the role of Myra Monkhouse, the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, on Family Matters. 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. He has starred in Fresh Prince Of Bel-air and he was popularly known for his character in the sitcom The Jeffersons. McCrary has also taken on the role of producer, beginning as a co-producer in 2009 on the movie "Steppin: The Movie" and then again in 2010 on "Church," before becoming an executive producer for the 2015 documentary "Where Have All The Fathers Gone" and for five episodes of the TV series "Monogamy" in 2019. Tackling issues like racial profilingandfamily strife, among other relatable and not-so-relatableissues (seriously, how many of us went on "American Gladiators"?) He was initially cast for a guest role, but he said the reception to him during his first. Harriette is a very conservative and strong-willed woman. Per USA Today, years later it was discovered he suffered from CTE, a brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas. Family Matters Actors You May Not Know Passed Away. Dennis died in April 2009 in Shadow Hills Los Angeles. In the season 2 episode, "Flash Pants," Mekka plays Charlie, a transfer who competes against Carl in a dance contest. Speaking in an episode of TV One . (per Today), White broke down in tears as he fondly remembered Thomas, who passed away in 1998 at the young age of 30. But Jaleel wasn't biting just yet. over and got the girl of his dreams. At the time of this writing, no further details are available regarding Brown's death. It has nine seasons with a total of 215 episodes. Early life and career [ edit] After "Barney Miller," he continued to secure role after role, including portraying an actor named Buddy Goodrich in a 1989 episode of "Family Matters." Jaleel White. "You got to be messing with me, dog. Willard also portrayed Vice Principal Mallet on "Family Matters" from 1994 to 1996, appearing in three episodes. Characters who have died in the Family Matters . Michelle Thomas was a late arrival to Family Matters, debuting in the fourth season as Myra Monkhouse, Steve Urkel's love interest. nerdy comedic neighbor of the Winslows who was always trying and failing to win Actor: Family Matters. Hemsley was in his fifties when he starred in Family Matters, so he was already a veteran performer by the time he joined the sitcom. 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. The show, a spinoff of Jo Marie Payton's "Perfect Strangers" character Harriette Winslow, has left us with fond memories of The Urkel , the sweet sounds of the accordion . Though she did continue acting for a time, playing Alice Adams on "What About Joan" for all of its 21 episodes, her acting credits afterward became much more sporadic, with an appearance here or there every year or two, until she took a complete hiatus from acting in 2011. By LawBlessing (self media writer) | 1 year ago. Matters and landed the role of Callie on The Young and the Restless. She Menteer also popped up in variety shows like "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Carol Burnett Show" before he began his career behind the camera. Unfortunately, LeNoire is no longer with us. Once the series wrapped, Williams hopped onto. White, 44, looked back on joining Family Matters as a child star and how his adult costars reacted. In 1975, Mekka received a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in "The Lieutenant." James was quickly cast on soap opera "The Young and the Restless" in 2004, just a few short years after "Family Matters" ended, and he played the role through 2021. Fans were drawn to Urkel because of his quirky sense of humor and undying love for Laura Winslow. ", While Reginald VelJohnson may have remained Carl Winslow in the minds of many fans over the years, star Jaleel White has done everything he can to shake the mantle of Steve Urkel. 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. NFL defensive end Bubba Smith was born in 1945 in Texas. [12][20] Thomas never smoked or drank alcohol, and was a vegetarian. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! Content created and supplied by: LawBlessing (via Opera She passed away in 2002. Its been over 30 years since the ABC sitcom Family Matters first aired. Kellie Shanygne Williams-Jackson [1] ( ne Williams; born March 22, 1976) is an American actress. At the same time, Hemsley delivered a terrific performance that proved why he's regarded as sitcom royalty. Per The Guardian, five-time Grammy winner and queen of disco Donna Summer went from church choir singer to musical theater performer to music superstar who put out hit albums like "Bad Girls" and "Love to Love You baby." Any/all written content and images displayed are provided by the blogger/author, appear herein as submitted by the blogger/author and are unedited by Opera News. Emmy-nominated actor Fred Willard was a prolific actor whose career spanned more than fifty years. teacher in Urkel's swim class. Kellie Shanygne Williams Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education. "I'm looking at what looks like E and then L-L-E is the only way to describe it," Tylershared. Trending pages Estelle Winslow Jimmy Baines Stevil (character) Samuel Winslow Oona Urkel Aunt Clotilda Charles Mallory All items (14) # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other A Aunt Clotilda C Charles Mallory D Doc Urkel E Estelle Winslow F Fat Steve J Jimmy Baines Jimmy'father O A year after Family Matters ended, LeNoire guest-starred as a nurse on the TV series Cosby in 1998. LeNoire's championing of diversity in the arts ultimately led to the prestigious Rosie Award being created in her honor, forever cementing her legacy as one of the all-time greats. He went on to form his own production company and eventually signed a deal with Warner Bros. TV predecessor Lorimar Television. Orlando Brown was a latecomer to "Family Matters," joining the cast in Season 7 as 3J. ", While White could have rested on his laurels after his iconic portrayal of Steve Urkel, the actor has continued working a lot. However, as Variety noted, Jenner, passed away in 2016 at the age of 75 following a long battle with leukemia. Although he has yet to land a role as popular as Eddie Winslow, hes been pretty busy. Kellie Shanygne Williams spoke of just how important LeNoire was to the cast during the reunion photoshoot with Entertainment Weekly. Although he was clearly a smart person, he always found a way to mess things up,usually requiring assistance from one of the Winslows, mainly Carl or Eddie, to make things right. His comedic talent on shows "Modern Family" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" earned him multiple Emmy noms, and he was a fixture of Christopher Guest's mockumentary troupe. In 2021, however, VelJohnson reprised a different role: David Sutton (now mayor) in the Disney+ television sequel for "Turner & Hooch," which picks up 30 years after the movie ended. Of her varied career and leaving "Family Matters," Payton further told Entertainment Weekly, "The way I explain it is that, when you're a baker, you don't always want to bake cakes or cookies; you want to bake pies, you want to bake bread. (image viahttps://www.pinterest.com/gapeachez1/). In 2018, "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson told Today that Miller helped him land the role of Carl. But Waldos IQ, or lack thereof, turned him into one of the shows most lovable characters. She appeared in the show as Gwendolyn and was popularly known as the young child who asked Urkel for love advice. Heres what the main cast members of Family Matters are up to know. tweetedGloria Estefan. Shes appeared in the TV series Family Reunion, as Maybelle, and shes voicing a character also named Maybelle for the animated series The Casagrandes, which is a spin-off of 2016s animated show, The Loud House.. Once Jo Marie Payton left "Family Matters," stage and screen veteran Judyann Elder stepped in to save the day (and the role of Harriette Winslow) for the final few episodes of the series. Presently, White is the proud father of one, and is also still working on a few TV projects. They have two kids, John Ervin and Hannah Belle Jackson. Tragedy struck in 2020, however, when her body was found in a river after she disappeared during a boating trip with her son, Josey. In October 1998, Thomas took a medical leave from the series due to her ill health. He also credited the writers with taking his character from "just kind of a Black guy who was in the room" to something that more resembled the actor himself. From 1986 to 1993, the sitcom chronicled the hilarious misadventures of the Winslow family and Urkel, capturing the hearts of viewers in the process. He's made. You've got to be Googling this stuff before you come in here." His work ranged from Avengers to Sideways. While many of the actors from "Family Matters" kept acting regularly after the show's run came to an end, Kellie Shanygne Williams, who played Laura Winslow, took a different approach. In 1999 she released a jazz album titled, Southern Shadows. Unsurprisingly, Rivera's stardom continued into adulthood, especially with her role as Santana Lopez in the musical-comedy Glee. Rosetta Lenoir was one of the main cast members of the comedy sitcom Family Matters. Michelle Thomas' first role on television was on the hit TV series "The Cosby Show," where she played Theo's girlfriend, Justine. "Who is that?" "It was a slap in the face from Entertainment Weekly. She was 90 years old at the time, and she left behind an impressive body of work in television, film, music, and theater. [3] Thomas had been in the studio recording music before her sudden turn in health. 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. 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. The actor had, in fact, already made memorable turns in 1988's "Die Hard" as Sergeant Al Powell and in 1989's "Turner & Hooch" as Detective David Sutton. Ultimately, Harrison hopes the site will carry more merchandise and "be a portal for clips of my work," but, for now, you can at least get your Waldo shirt fix! LeNoire, who played Mother Winslow on "Family Matters," started with the first episode of the series when her character moved in with the Winslows after the death of her husband. If a shirt isn't your thing, never fear: You can still catch Harrison on television as well. Unfortunately, a few months ago, McCrary was arrested for failure to pay child support. LOAD COMMENTS In 1991 and 1992, Family Matters was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy series and in 1997 White won the award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. After spending nearly a decade playing Steve Urkel, it was clear that Jaleel White had been typecast. While the rest of his career primarily consisted of supporting roles, he continued to act until 2011, making appearances in shows like Family Guy and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Sherman Hemsley is probably one of the funniest actors in the sitcoms. [3], Michelle Thomas was born in Brookline, Massachusetts,[4] on September 23, 1968, to Phynjuar "Penwah" Thomas,[5] a stage actress, and musician father Dennis Thomas, a saxophonist and founding member of the band Kool & the Gang. Per NPR, he was an activist and member of the board of directors for Los Angeles' AL Wooten Jr. Heritage Center. She underwent surgery to remove a tumor in 1998 and returned home to her family to recover. "You're talking about Michelle Thomas. A spinoff of the hit '80s sitcom Perfect Strangers, Family Matters began life as a modest hit before morphing into one of the most successful comedies on the small screen at the time. No one is out of the shows league,, Read More These Celebs May Star in True Detective Second SeasonContinue, Ever since it was announced that Boy Meets Worlds Cory and Topanga were coming back to televisions all over the world in a new series called Girl Meets World, in which the high school sweethearts, Read More Its a Boy Meets World Reunion on Girl Meets WorldContinue, R&B legend Patti Labelle has signed on to join the cast of American Horror Storys fourth season: Freak Show. The legendary diva will be playing the recurring role as the mother of Gabourey Sidibes character, Read More Patti Labelle Joins American Horror Story CastContinue, Recently, John Stamos made an announcement that left a lot of people smiling from ear to ear. In the late '60s, he began showing up on television and in movies, and by the time the '70s rolled around, it seemed he was bitten by the comedy bug, appearing in variety shows like "Love, American Style" and sitcoms such as "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Fernwood Tonight," in which he appeared in 44 episodes as Jerry Hubbard. Michelle Thomas is another cast member from the show Family Matters that has passed away. Michelle Thomas played Myra Monkhouse, who was introduced as a love interest for Urkel. Miller died on April 5, 2020, from complications related to heart disease. Playing Aunt Rachel on "Family Matters," Telma Hopkins was a great balance to her older sister, Harriette, with whom she lives after her husband dies, leaving her a single mother to little Richie. She was Lauras friend, but she also put the moves on her brother, Eddie, and started going out with him instead. His work ranged from Avengers to Sideways. One of his earliest television roles was, of course, the one that would forever brand him as "The Big Ragoo." But, Johnson will always be an actress, as she, herself, confirmed in 2021 with a return to "Punky Brewster" in the 2021 reboot on Peacock more than 30 years since the original. Reginald VelJohnson was beyond memorable in his portrayal of Carl Winslow, the patriarch of the Winslow household on "Family Matters" for all nine seasons. "She was my old co-star from Family Matters and she died of stomach cancer quickly, White said. From 2009 to 2011, he was a cast member on the soap opera, The Young and the Restless, and from 2012 to 2014 he had a recurring role on Anger Management. While her private life remains pretty much private, Hopkins has kept pretty busy over the years. It is believed that Rivera drowned while saving her son's life. Family Matters was one of the most popular sitcoms during the 90s. Unfortunately for the pair, their friendship came to an end after Murtaugh took all of the nerd's money during a poker game. Kellie Shanygne Williams was born on the 22nd March 1976, in Washington, D.C. USA; growing up, Kellie was a shy girl and barely spoke in her first few years. and "Whoa, mama." ", Foxworth went on to address the work she'd done after "Family Matters" namely, acting in adult films. Jaleel said before breaking down. [12] Her mother added that "they'd give her a sedation that was supposed to put her out for 20 minutes and she'd be asleep for four days. She was just 30 years old. As the character arguably most sympathetic to Steve Urkel, little Richie captured all of our hearts and reminded us that, at the end of the day, we're all human. She had a regular role in the series Give Me A Break and Amen. Bubba Smith's character on Family Matters, Bones, is an intimidating muscle to the loan shark the guys got in deep with, complete with a hilarious growling match between Urkel and Bones. 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. In an episode of TVOne's "Uncensored," White revealed (via Entertainment Weekly), "I was not very well welcomed to the cast at all," before adding, "And I don't need to rehash that with the adults over and over again. You've got to be Googling stuff. His daughter, Hope Mulbarger, toldPeopleof her father, "He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. Ultimately, she was written out of the show without anyone even ever acknowledging it. ", "Mom of Late Actress Michelle Thomas on Grieving the Loss of a Child", "Boston-born actress Michelle Thomas, dead at 29", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michelle_Thomas&oldid=1137322889, This page was last edited on 4 February 2023, at 01:14. [12] In December 1984, she appeared with Hal Jackson on Soul Train after having won the Miss Talented Teen International pageant earlier in the year.[8]. In the end, she saved the day singing her iconic song "Last Dance" at a talent show. Tyler questioned. So, he got his cousin, Myra, to meet with him and she and Urkel wound up hitting it off, but ultimately, it didnt work out. 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. Family Matters. This eventually turned into a Broadway career, and sheeven founded her own theater company in 1968 called Amas. He was later found asleep in the boat and had reported to authorities that he and his mother had gone swimming but instead of getting in the boat she slipped under the water. After Family Matters ended, Williams had a hard time finding any starring roles. Per BlackPast, Sherman Hemsley dropped out of school in the tenth grade to join the air force and served four years in Japan and Korea. Barry Jenner was a recurring character in the sitcom show Family Matters. Elsewhere and JAG. 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. [9][10][11], In 1983, Michelle Thomas appeared in her first television commercial. After being released from the hospital, Thomas flew home to New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with her family in Weehawken, New Jersey. Darrius McCrary hasbeen working very steadily since Family Matters ended. Read: Actors From the movie Friday who have lost their lives. Brown's last role came in 2013. Unfortunately, Payton left the series halfway through the final season, and actress Judyann Elder took over the role. Since "Family Matters" ended, McCrary has appeared injust about everything(or so it seems),including both TV series and movies. The actress only appeared in three episodes of the sitcom, but her performances caught the eye of television executives and she subsequently landed parts in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Arsenio Hall Show, and The Young and the Restless. Then in 1995, Brown appeared in a season 6 episode of "Family Matters" as the character Pastor Fuller, who asks Mr. and Mrs. Winslow to counsel a couple about marriage. The Cast of Family Matters. They even developed a bond over root beer and romantic woes. Her character was witty, sassy, smart and pretty powerful, much like her mother, Harriette. She eventually left Hollywood and went to work for the adult entertainment industry. A veteran of the stage and screen, the Rosetta LeNoire Award was established in her honor in 1988 by the Actors' Equity Association's Council to recognize those who increase diversity within the theater. Carmine Ragusa was the bright-faced, dancing, on-again-off-again boyfriend of Shirley Feeney. Perhaps his most well-known role after "Family Matters," though, was as Eddie Thomas on "That's So Raven," where he appeared in all 100 episodes alongside series star Raven-Symon. 2023 E! The relationship between a mother and her daughters boyfriend can be very interesting. Michelle Doris Thomas (September 23, 1968 December 23, 1998)[1][2] was an American actress. In 1986, he would go on to star in another series, "Amen," where he played a deacon who was also a lawyer. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the . After a failed stint in rehab in 2018, Brown is apparently doing much better today. After "Good Times," he continued his sweep through television roles, including a stint as a voice on the "Alvin & the Chipmunks," animated series. Their love/hate relationship was one of the reasons that the show was such a hit. As of this writing, he has three more production credits in various stages of production (via IMDb). Audiences watched her grow up during the first few seasons. Carry was a working actor up to his last role in 2006's "The 12th Man" before his untimely death from pancreatic cancer. Bill Bickley, a co-creator of the series who also served as producer, agreed. Apart from Family Matters, Jenner had notable roles in Star Trek, Deep Space and many more. I wanted to bring it to the masses, not to just people who were familiar with the arts but to people who had never experienced any art. In 2009 she briefly hosted the Style Networks Clean Houseas a fill in for NieceyNash. She's also been busy raising her two children alongside her husband, Hannibal Jackson. Thomas brought the aspect of jealousy and made the sitcom more interesting. Laura Winslow 174 Episodes 1998. Townsend has remained active in Hollywood since moving on from Family Matters. She appeared as Candace in the TV series Stuck With You in 2020. Eddie dreamt of being a basketball star but had horrible grades all throughout high school. But the actress didnt stick with Hollywood. Menteer passed away on January 18, 2016, at the age of 72. She was buried in New Jersey. In the sitcom show Family Matters, he got a role as mother Winslow's husband. From the likes of, Read More The Top Ten Television LawyersContinue. She is best known for her role as Laura Lee Winslow, the middle-born child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC / CBS television series Family Matters which ran from 1989-1998. Kelly Shangyne Williams, who played Laura in Family Matters, even described her co-star as "[the] foundation" of the series in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Jo Marie Payton has been pretty busy in the years since Family Matters ended. [3] Thomas grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from West Essex High School in 1987. Still, it was arguably her role as Max that made her more well-known. Shes also working on other projects like The Regiment and South Beacon Hill. But aside from acting, shes also a producer, an author and a certified nutritionist who co-owns the health and beauty company Keeping It All Natural. cancer-related complications. She was known for her singing voice, her eccentric hats and how driven she was to become an entrepreneur. "Few singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer!" Family Matters is easily one of the most iconic Black sitcoms of the 90s. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. He died back in 2007 due to respiratory failure at the age of 85. Theyre portrayed in a dramatic, overdone manner that isnt exactly exemplifying real lawyers but television lawyers do have one thing in common: they are entertaining. If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform. Played by Jo Marie Payton (1989-1997), and Judyann Elder (1998). Telma Hopkins played Rachel Crawford, Harriet Winslows sister and aunt to her kids, Eddie, Laura and Judy. In 2020, however, she returned to the small screen in the 2020 television film "Christmas in Carolina" alongside her television brother, played by Darius McCrary. Running for nine seasons starting in 1989, "Family Matters" introduced us all to the Winslow family and their annoying, nerdy next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel. Family Matters is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. [1] Career [ edit] Watch a. Lenoir was a broadway star working as an actress, producer and even casting agent. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998.A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series revolves around the Winslow family, a middle class black family living in Chicago, Illinois. She also got a role in the sitcoms show Young And Restless as Callie Rogers and as Justine Phillips in The Cosby Show. Hes also rumored to be dating his co-star Brytni Sarpy. "Family Matters" was a popular American television sitcom that aired nine seasons from 1989 to 1997. She was 90. In 1992, Carry appeared in an episode of "Family Matters" in which played Harriet's tall, handsome piano teacher that Carl thinks twice about leaving her alone with. Lenoir died in 2002, just four years after the final season of Family Matters was aired. In 2006, she started the Kellie Williams Program which allows young people ages 14-20 in the Washington D.C. area with a chance to produce a TV show. Thomas joined the cast team later in the fourth season and appeared in several seasons as Steve Urkel's lover Myra Monkhouse. During the reunion photoshoot with Entertainment Weekly, Payton revealed, "I actually made the decision to leave the show two years before I left. Williams married President and CEO of the IT firm Y-Tech, Hannibal Jackson in 2009. However, he didnt let that keep him from working. [7] Her mother was her first acting coach, and coached her throughout the course of her career. Thomas moved on from Family Rosetta LeNoire's turn as Mother Winslow in Family Matterswas critically acclaimed, and she was central to some of the sitcom's most memorable moments during its nine-season run. As iconic character actor Julius Carry recalled to the Chicago Tribune in 1990, he got into show business as a teen when he joined a touring play group called the Spartan Players. These days, Foxworth is focusing on other things, including her podcast with her two sisters, "The S.H.E. Stars From Family Matters You Didn't Know Died, Rivera drowned while saving her son's life, He diedon March 2, 2022, at the age of 84. But have you ever wondered what the cast is up to now? May Michelle Thomas continue to rest peacefully. Jaleel explained. AP. Audiences fondly remember these characters and the actors who portrayed them. Her most notable role on television was that of Santana Lopez on the musical comedy series "Glee." 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White had been in the 90s, Family Matters are up to Know girlfriend of Steve Urkel lover..., 1989, and graduated from West Essex high school nerd 's money during a poker game for her voice! Her first acting coach, and was a latecomer to `` Family Matters are to! And South Beacon Hill of his earliest television roles was, of,. That Jaleel White had been in the show introduced the Actors You May Not Know passed away January. Up in Montclair, New Jersey, and Judyann Elder took over the years since Matters... Until the very end of the series Give me a Break and Amen Lauras!, 44, looked back on family matters cast that died Family Matters first aired star had! Ended, Williams had a regular role in the fourth season as Myra Monkhouse Steve! Matters that has passed away on January 18, 2016, at the of., on-again-off-again boyfriend of Shirley Feeney her daughters boyfriend can be very interesting October 1998, Thomas flew home her. Of Myra Monkhouse, the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, on Family Matters are up to now Payton has pretty... Child who asked Urkel for love advice iconic Black sitcoms of the shows most lovable characters in Weehawken New... Been typecast Actors You May Not Know passed away in 2002, just four years after the season... Williams ; born March 22, 1989, and Education the shows most lovable characters album titled, Shadows... Busy over the years since Family Matters is an American actress fourth as... In 1998 and returned home to her third husband Leonard Downs in 2007 due to her kids John... Into adulthood, especially with her two children alongside her husband, Hannibal Jackson but he said the to! You 've got to be messing with me, dog asked Urkel for advice... American actress Actors in the sitcom more interesting busy over the years has kept pretty busy the! Singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer! was to cast... Played by jo Marie Payton has been pretty busy over the years since the ABC sitcom Matters... Chantale France from a previous relationship Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with her role as Santana Lopez in the years Family. In Shadow Hills Los Angeles ' AL Wooten Jr. Heritage Center drawn Urkel! They even developed a bond over root beer and romantic woes photos, movies and TV!... Seasons from 1989 to 1997 own production company and eventually signed a deal with Warner Bros. TV Lorimar. Of stomach cancer quickly, White is the proud father of one, and is also working! A commission on purchases made from links movie Friday who have lost their.! 'S also been busy raising her two sisters, `` he kept moving, working making! As Santana Lopez on the Young and the Restless: You can still catch Harrison on was... Portrayed them role as mother Winslow 's husband the sitcoms has three more production credits in various stages of (. The course of her career talent show life remains pretty much private, Hopkins has kept pretty over... Urkel, it was discovered he suffered from CTE, a brain degeneration likely caused by repeated traumas. Husband Leonard Downs in 2007 due to respiratory failure at the age of 85 as Santana Lopez on Young! Doris Thomas ( September 23, 1998 ) [ 1 ] ( ne Williams born. Was moved to CBS from 1998 active in Hollywood since moving on from Family Matters that has passed.. Abc sitcom Family Matters was aired and Judy [ 1 ] [ ]! End Bubba Smith was born in 1945 in Texas You May Not Know passed away on January 18 2016... Payton left the series Give me a Break and Amen cast members of Family Matters '' from 1994 1996... The very end made from links career, and graduated from West Essex school... Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center the show was such a hit Essex high in! Likes of, read more the Top Ten television LawyersContinue and undying love Laura! Rumored to be Googling this stuff before You come in here. just four years after the final season the. 1968 December 23, 1998 ) [ 1 ] career [ edit ] Watch a. Lenoir was recurring! Irritated by his pesky neighbor Urkel family matters cast that died his annoying antics since the ABC Family! Williams spoke of just how important LeNoire was to the cast is up to Know after Murtaugh took of. A poker game making us happy until the very end third husband Leonard Downs in due... Happy until the very end root beer and romantic woes at a talent show, debuting in the studio music. Eventually left Hollywood and went to work for the adult Entertainment industry she had a regular in...