Natalie Desselle Reid, known largely for her roles in the movies “B*A*P*S” alongside Halle Berry, “Set It Off” and “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” died Monday following a bout with colon cancer, her family announced in an Instagram post. She was 53.
Desselle Reid, a native of Alexandria, La., who starred in the TV show “Eve” from 2003-2006, also portrayed one of the wicked stepsisters in a 1997 television adaptation of “Cinderella,” starring along with Brandy and Whitney Houston. That same year, she had a prominent role in “Def Jam’s How to Be a Player,” which featured Bill Bellamy and Bernie Mac.
“Just absolutely decimated by this news…Actress Natalie Desselle, a bright shining star passed away this morning,” fellow actress Holly Robinson Peete tweeted Monday. “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.”
Berry added that in a tweet, “Natalie taught us love, joy and humor through her characters — 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.”
