Halle Berry has paid tribute to her B.A.P.S. co-star Natalie Desselle-Reid, who died this week at the age of 53.
In an extended note shared to her Twitter on Monday night, Berry told fans she was "still processing this devastating news" of her collaborator and friend's passing.
"Natalie taught us love, joy, and humor through her characters," Berry said. "She could never dim her light, and it was infectious. With her I laughed harder than I'd ever laughed before. She showed us it was ok to be goofy and funny while still being sincere and extraordinarily kind."
Berry also shared memories of being "humbled" by the years of B.A.P.S. love she and Desselle-Reid had received, praising her co-star for a career in which she "represented actual Black women, not what Black women are perceived to be."
See Berry's full tribute message below.
Also on Monday, Eve—who spent several years working with Desselle-Reid on the UPN comedy Eve—told fans she was sending "prayers, love, and strength" to the late actress' family.
The death of Desselle-Reid, whose celebrated filmography also included the 1997 Walt Disney Television rendition of Cinderella and Tyler Perry's 2011 comedy Madea's Big Happy Family, was announced on Monday via a post on the actress' official Instagram account.
"It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning from colon cancer," a rep said. "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."
RIP.
