Natalie Desselle Reid, ‘B.A.P.S’ and ‘Eve’ star, dead at 53

Natalie Desselle Reid, known for her roles in the movie B.A.P.S and the show Eve, has died. She was 53. A family member confirmed to TMZ that the veteran actress died following a battle with colon cancer.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beautiful Natalie this morning,” Reid’s family announced on the actress’s Instagram account Monday afternoon. “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.”

Reid got her big break playing Tanika in the hit film Set It Off, which starred Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith. The Alexandria, La., native also had a guest role on the sitcom Family Matters. According to IMDb, she struggled to find work soon after, until she landed a starring role in B.A.P.S., alongside Halle Berry, as Mickey. The film, which was directed by Robert Townsend, followed the adventures of two women entrepreneurs from Georgia who set out on a quest to become “Black American Princesses.” Just last week, Berry shared archival footage from their appearance on E! to promote the 1997 comedy.

She also appeared in several other films, including How to Be A Player and 1997’s Cinderella starring Brandy before landing her role on rapper Eve’s self-titled show as the character Janine Egins. Reid also starred in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family and her last attributed role is as Queen Victoria Brooks in the 2010 film Queen Victoria’s Wedding.

Celebrities like Holly Robinson Peete and Berry, along with countless fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to the actress.

“I’m in total shock. completely heartbroken. gonna need a minute,” Berry captioned a clip of the pair on Instagram.

“Just absolutely decimated by this news...” Robinson Peete wrote in a tweet. “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. Rest In Peace, Sweet Girl”

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