Natalie Desselle Reid has died.
The actress who starred with Halle Berry on the 1997 flick B.A.P.S. and had a recurring role on Eve, died of colon cancer.
She was 53.
While details are scarce, TMZ noted that Desselle Reid battled colon cancer in private, and was surrounded by her family at a hospice in her final days.
“Natalie was a bright light. She was an amazing actress and comedienne but also an awesome mother & wife,” said her manager, Dolores Robinson.
Holly Robinson Peete, who starred with the actress on the NBC/WB sitcom For Your Love, added that she was “absolutely decimated” by the tragic news.
“I got to know her when my mom was managing her,” she wrote.
“She will be so missed … sending out prayers to her children and husband.”
The star’s Instagram account also revealed the sad news.
“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning from colon cancer,” reads a post on the page.
“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 post continues.
“Naturally, we are grieving and processing this profound loss and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time.”
Deselle Reid’s extensive TV career also included a co-starring role in ABC’s 1997 reboot of Cinderella, as well as guest stints on Family Matters, Yes, Dear, and ER.
Born July 12, 1967, in Alexandria, Louisiana, Desselle Reid was a student of Grambling State University.
She is survived by her husband, Leonard, and children Sereno, Summer and Sasha.
Natalie’s fans rushed to pay tribute following the sad announcement.
One wrote: “So sad to hear this…prayers and comfort to everyone that knew Natalie.”
Another wrote: “Natalie Desselle Reid was one of the first actresses I saw bringing a powerhouse and personality packed performance into a song, refreshing an old school musical. Rest in Power.”
Added another, Woooow rip to Natalie Desselle Reid 🙁 she was everything in BAPS and Cinderella”
A Netflix executive shared the following message:
“I reached out to Natalie Desselle-Reid exactly one year ago to book her for Strong Black Legends. She was one of the most requested guests. She didn’t respond (I assumed she wanted privacy). But hopefully, she knows that we considered her a LEGEND.”
May she rest in peace.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.