LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedic actor Natalie Desselle Reid died Monday at age 53; her family said the cause was colon cancer.
Reid starred alongside Halle Berry in the 1997 movie “B.A.P.S.” and played the lead character’s best friend in the sitcom “Eve.” She also appeared in Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off” and Def Jam’s “How to Be a Player.”
In “B.A.P.S,” Reid (then billed as Natalie Desselle) and Berry played Georgia waitresses who travel to Los Angeles for a music video audition. They end up living a luxury lifestyle as “Black American Princesses” while caring for an elderly Beverly Hills millionaire played by Martin Landau.
At the time of her death, Reid had been working with producer Je’Caryous Johnson on a stage adaptation of the movie. Johnson said Reid was looking forward to bringing her role as Mickey back to life. He said everyone fell in love with Reid’s “undeniably witty, always giving and caring and hilariously show-stopping personality” during rehearsals.
“The world has truly lost one of its most angelic souls here on Earth,” Johnson said in a statement.
Berry said on Twitter that she was “in total shock. … completely heartbroken,” and actor/musician Eve paid tribute to Reid on her social media saying “thank you for your light and spirit.”
Desselle married Leonard Reid in 2003; the couple had three children.
“Colon cancer symptoms” was a top trending search on Tuesday morning as the news made the rounds. Similar searches followed the death in August of “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who was 43.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer get annual screenings starting at age 45. Earlier or more frequent screenings are suggested for those with risk factors including previous inflammatory bowel disease or a family history of colon cancer.