Charlie Murphy Dead at 57 After Battle With Leukemia
After a battle with leukemia, comedian and actor Charlie Murphy has died. He was 57.
TMZ reports that Charlie's manager confirmed he died from leukemia Wednesday morning (April 12) in a NYC hospital. He'd been going undergoing chemotherapy, and family members expressed shock at his passing, because they thought he was getting better.
The older brother of actor/comedian Eddie Murphy, Charlie established a memorable career in his own right, propelled to household name status after appearing on Dave Chappelle's popular Comedy Central series, Chappelle's Show. His most notable skits—Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories— were some of the show's most popular, including recalling nights he spent hanging out with Rick James and Prince. He went on to host the Charlie Murphy's Crash Comedy series and the stand-up special Charlie Murphy: I Will Not Apologize. Prior to appearing on Chappelle's Show he appeared in the films Mo' Betta Blues, CB4, Jungle Fever and more.
Charlie also worked closely with his younger brother, Eddie, sharing co-writing credits on films including Norbit and Vampire in Brooklyn. Most recently he toured with Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, George Lopez and D.L. Hughley on "The Comedy Get Down."
Charlie's wife, Tisha Taylor Murphy, died in 2009 from cervical cancer. They had two children together, and Charlie also had another child from a previous relationship.
Our condolences to his friends and family.