“B.A.P.S.” star Natalie Desselle has died at age 53 following a battle with colon cancer.
“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning,” the late star’s social media accounts shared on Monday, Dec. 7.
The statement continued, “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. Naturally, we are grieving and processing this profound loss and we thank you in advance for respecting our privacy at this extremely difficult time. 🙏🏽💔,” the family expressed.
Desselle was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year, a family member told TMZ.
The family member also revealed she was in hospice care in the days before to her death.
Actress Holly Robinson Peete was the first to reveal the news that the late actress passed away.
“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,” Pete, 56, tweeted.
Desselle is survived by her husband Leonard Reid and their three children.
The actress was known for her roles in the 1997 film “B.A.P.S.,” the UPN series “Eve,” “Cinderella” starring Brandy, “How to Be a Player,” “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” and more.
Halle Berry shared an emotional post after learning about her former “B.A.P.S” co-star death.
“i’m in total shock. completely heartbroken. gonna need a minute. #RIP @nataliedessellereid,” her post read.
Fans have since been reacting to the sad news on social media.
“‘Eve,’ ‘How to Be a Player,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘BAPS’… I really enjoyed her work. What a great actress. RIP and my condolences to her family and friends,” one person wrote.
Another said, “I loved her in ‘BAPs’ but I absolutely loved her in Roger Hammerstein ‘Cinderella.’ She was perfect in that role. Wow. So sad.”
“Such an under appreciated star. What a loss,” a fan expressed.
