An actress known for her roles on the satire show, “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and sketch comedy show “MADtv” has died.
Erica Ash was 46.
Her death was confirmed by her mother, who said her daughter died on Sunday of cancer, The New York Times reported.
Ash was born in Florida in 1977 but grew up in Decatur, Georgia, WSB reported. She had majored in pre-medicine at Emory University but took a year off to travel before attending medical school.
“My brain was tired. I just wanted to take a year off,” she told Steve Harvey in 2019. “When I got there, I decided I was going to have a year of just yes. Whatever experiences and things came my way, I was going to say yes and not be afraid.”
During her trip to Japan, she got her big break as a backup singer for a Japanese artist. Then she transitioned over to acting appearing in such shows as “MADtv.”
While in Japan, she also modeled and did some ringside announcing, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Literally, one thing led to another, so I tell people I’m the Forrest Gump of my field. I just blindly, by faith, walked through life and said ‘yes’ to things that were presented to me, and it led me here,” Ash said according to the newspaper.
Her breakout role was in “Real Husbands of Hollywood” playing Bridgette Hart in the 2013 satire series created by Kevin Hart for BET, CNN reported.
BET remembered Ash on Instagram as “known for being equal parts witty and funny.”
Ash also appeared in “Scary Move V,” “Jean of the Joneses,” “Uncle Drew” and “Violet.”
Her IMDB biography said her final role was an episode of “Extended Family.”
She was nominated for an Image Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017, a NAMIC Vision Award and a Women’s Image Network Award all for her work in “Survivor’s Remorse.”
“I live my life like I’m writing a book, because at the end of the day, when I’m in some old folks home and nobody feels like visiting me, I’m going to have the stories of my life to entertain me,” she said according to the Los Angeles Times.