Tragedy struck in 2020 after her body was found in the river after disappearing during a boat trip. Unfortunately for the pair, their friendship came to an end after Murtaugh took all of the nerd's money during a poker game. He was 74. Willard went to two military institutes before serving in the US army and being stationed in Germany. Rumor has it that the character was removed because of budget issues. Peter Dennis is another cast member from Family Matters that has passed away in real life. He replaced twin actors Joseph and Julius Wright, who alternated in the infant role during the show's first year. 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. She wasnt a series regular but she made quite an impression on audiences. Shes reportedly filming the movies Heart of a Champion and Conundrum: Secrets Among Friends.. Known for. We loved him so very much.". 15 Reginald VelJohnson Reginald VelJohnson 's acting career has really come full circle. She was just 30 years old. Poston was a jack of all talents. 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. Murtaugh was a recurring character in Family Matters between 1990 and 1992, and he was able to make a big impact with his silly antics. 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. The death is being investigated as a suicide. She was also a grandmother to Eddie, Laura and Judy. She was 90 years old at the time, and she left behind an impressive body of work in television, film, music, and theater. At a recent cast reunion at 90s Con, the Family Matters cast was asked about whether they'd be interested in revisiting the Winslow family with a series revival. Once the series wrapped, Williams hopped onto another ABC show, What About Joan?, to play Alice Adams, a coworker and friend of the protagonist, played by Joan Cusack. ", a popular catchphrase from the show. He began his career back in the 1950s. After guest spots in shows like "Sanford and Son" and "Good Times," he landed his breakout role as Detective Harris in "Barney Miller." All rights reserved. Carry continued acting in the 1990s and through early 2000, garnering roles in such shows as "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr," "Murphy Brown," and "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place." Unfortunately, Payton left the series halfway through the final season, and actress Judyann Elder took over the role. He also joined fellow Family Matters alumni Kellie Williams, Jo Marie Payton and Darius McCrary at the 2022 '90s Con event. It has been over 16 years but the show still remains one of the greatest show of its time. Hes also rumored to be dating his co-star Brytni Sarpy. After "Barney Miller," he continued to secure role after role, including portraying an actor named Buddy Goodrich in a 1989 episode of "Family Matters." Family Matters | The Gods are Dead | Episode 20-The Gods are 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. Michelle Thomas, the late actress who played Myra on Family Matters Menteer holds credits for writing, directing, producing on many of the shows he worked on including "Happy Days," "Punky Brewster," and "Family Matters." Jaleel White played the Winslows' obnoxious, ever-present neighbor Steve Urkel for all nine seasons of Family Matters. [14] VelJohnson also voices several minor characters in the series. Per theNew York Daily News, Hemsley succumbed to superior vena cava syndrome and passed away in 2012. Jenner unfortunately passed away in 2016 at the age of 75 following a long battle with leukemia. Jaleel Whitemay bebestknown for playing hilariously nerd Steve Urkel on the '90s sitcom Family Matters, but there's nothing funnyabout theshocking revelation he receives from Tyler Henry on Wednesday night's Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry episode. After her TGIF run, she played Lillian Roanoke in Mike Myers' 2008 film The Love Guru, and most recently she acted as Freya in 2021's The Matrix Resurrections. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. As a child, she appeared in three sitcoms shows and this earned her a spot in the screens. Jaleel explained. His work ranged from Avengers to Sideways. With the exception of The Golden Girls, grandparents are never the main stars of sitcoms. 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. 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. May 13 2020, Updated 10:30 p.m. Come on, man. 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 was 29 years old. He appeared in a few episodes of the show. Reginald VelJohnson's Life after 'Family Matters' Gay - AmoMama Arnold Johnson is also another cast member from the sitcom show Family Matters that died in real life. 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. in 1983 and finally signed on to Family Matters for its first through fourth seasons. In 1952 comedian and actor Reginal VelJohnson was born! The cast of 'Family Matters' has largely continued to work in the industry after the show ended in 1998. McCrary was married to She Ball actress Tammy Brawner. 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. It is believed that Rivera drowned while saving her son's life. She was only 33 years old. Thomas died December 22 in Manhattan,. Thomas would eventually end up as the real life girlfriend of the actor, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo. NFL defensive end Bubba Smith was born in 1945 in Texas. Two years later, on November 25, 2016, Glass died of respiratory failure. She underwent surgery to remove a tumor in 1998 and returned home to her family to recover. On the show, Jaleel sat down for a reading with Tyler Henry. His character was described as totally dim-witted, and he often annoyed Steve Urkel by saying the silliest things. She was 53 . Per NPR, he was an activist and member of the board of directors for Los Angeles' AL Wooten Jr. Heritage Center. White was pronounced dead on arrival after. From 1986. Shes not currently active in Hollywood, but she has stayed pretty busy working on the Kellie Williams Program, a project in Washington, DC, that gives 14 to 20-year-olds a shot at producing their own television shows. ", Emmy-nominated actor Ron Glass was a staple of American television starting in 1973 with his first role on "All in the Family." Embed from Getty Images. "We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. White shed tears as he remembered actress Michelle Thomas, who played Myra, the girlfriend of his nerdy character, Steve Urkel, on his hit '90s sitcom. See More, 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. Now: Since 2004, James has played Devon . 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 . The Cast of 'Outer Banks' : Everything to Know, Our Favorite (Underrated!) Rosetta Lenoir was one of the main cast members of the comedy sitcom Family Matters. In 1989, VelJohnson was cast as the memorable police officer and family patriarch Carl Winslow in the ABC (later CBS) sitcom Family Matters, alongside Jo Marie Payton, who played his wife Harriette Winslow. Her character was witty, sassy, smart and pretty powerful, much like her mother, Harriette. He went on to star in UPN's sitcom Grown Ups and hosted the Syfy competition show Total Blackout from 2013 to 2014. According to Hello Magazine, the autopsy report revealed that "accidental drowning" was the cause of death. He has starred in Fresh Prince Of Bel-air and he was popularly known for his character in the sitcom The Jeffersons. Menteer passed away on January 18, 2016, at the age of 72. Family Matters (1989-1998) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Series Directed by Series Writing Credits Series Cast Series Produced by Series Music by Series Cinematography by Series Film Editing by Series Casting By Series Art Direction by Series Set Decoration by Series Makeup Department Series Production Management Jaleel White Says He Was 'Not Welcomed' by 'Family Matters' Cast When He Joined Show as Steve Urkel, Confessions from TGIF Stars: 'Family Matters, Full House' & More. As a youngster, Rivera was known for her confident performances and upbeat charisma. Desselle-Reid's manager, Dolores Robinson, confirmed . In the years after, he provided the voices for Jazz in the original Transformers movie and Tarix in. iloveoldschoolmusic.com. White revisited Urkel after all in 2019, when he voiced him in the cartoon Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? 'Family Matters': Where Are They Now? - HuffPost She then went on to appear as a regular cast member on Half & Half and Are We There Yet? She had a lot of friends in the music industry. he explained. 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." Emmy-nominated actor Fred Willard was a prolific actor whose career spanned more than fifty years. After being asked about her passing, the actor talked about how she was highly thought of among her peers. Youve got to be Googling stuff. To Be or Not to Be (Part 1) To Be or Not to Be (Part 2) We're Going to Disney World (Part 1) After the show wrapped, White stated that he never wanted to step back into Urkel's shoes again, though he later revised the claim over a decade later. That said, he also had a memorable guest role in Family Matters, playing Carl's boss, Captain Marion Savage, in a few episodes between 1994 and 1995. He diedon March 2, 2022, at the age of 84. Although the sitcom achieved decent ratings in its first season, it wasn't until the character of Steve Urkel, portrayed by Jaleel White, was introduced that the show really took off. Come on, man. But many "Family Matters" have not stayed on the small screen and others have sadly passed on. No news outlets, including the Associated Press, the purported source of the article, published accounts about Jaleel White's death. 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. It is said that 300 years ago, in the year Bedlam, Divine Magic died. Although Jaleel has been out of the public eye for a while, he is alive and well. Tom Poston popularly known as Mr Lonely by fans of the family sitcom show Family Matters, is another actor that has passed away in real life. According to the story, White took his own life after becoming obsessed with the Steve Urkel character he'd played on "Family Matters" and growing despondent, presumably over the cancellation of the show. Family Matters is an American television sitcom that originated on ABC from September 1989 to 1997 and later was moved to CBS from 1998. Thenthe 21-year-old psychic claimed that he didnt even know who Jaleel White a.k.a. Thomas joined the cast team later in the fourth season and appeared in several seasons as Steve Urkel's lover Myra Monkhouse. Beyond TV, Williams appeared in Usher's 2005 crime-dramedy In The Mix and in the 2009 film Steppin: The Movie. Carl was seriously irritated by his pesky neighbor Urkel and his annoying antics. Jo Marie Payton played the family's matriarch, Harriette Winslow. She appeared in all nine seasons and unlike most of the other Winslow clan, she actually liked their neighbor Steve Urkel. Bryton McClure was only 4 years old when he started playing Richie Crawford on Family Matters' second season. Gone way too soon, but never forgotten. Willard also portrayed Vice Principal Mallet on "Family Matters" from 1994 to 1996, appearing in three episodes. Before she was on Family Matters, Johnson was on another sitcom called Punky Brewster where she played Punkys best friend, Cherie. 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. ABC/Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images. Reginald VelJohnson got his big break in 1988, when he played LAPD sergeant Al Powell in the action classic Die Hard. They have two kids, John Ervin and Hannah Belle Jackson. He was also a contestant on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars, placing 8th. Cast Members Of The Award-Winning Sitcom "Family Matters" Launch New But it was his Broadway debut in "Purlie" that got him noticed by Norman Lear and led to his first TV roleas grumpy Archie Bunker's neighbor in "All in the Family," for which George Jefferson was born and inspired the spin-off, "The Jefferson's. 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. Sherman Hemsley is probably one of the funniest actors in the sitcoms. He died back in 2007 due to respiratory failure at the age of 85. She finished out the series with the rest of the cast and then jumped right over to a recurring role on "The Young and the Restless.". However, some of the show's most memorable denizens have sadly passed away since Family Matters came to an end. cancer-related complications. Her birthday is September 23, 1968,"Jaleel revealed. Stars From Family Matters You Didn't Know Died - NickiSwift Her former boyfriend, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, was at her side. "This is embarrassing, I don't even recognize you," Tyler tells him.