“There are no words that can truly express the depth of my heartbreak or the emptiness I feel without you,” his wife Shawna Stewart wrote in a tribute
Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Samuel Monroe Jr. has died after previously being hospitalized for meningitis
- He was known for his roles in Menace II Society and The Players Club
- “There are no words that can truly express the depth of my heartbreak or the emptiness I feel without you,” his wife Shawna Stewart wrote in a tribute
Samuel Monroe Jr. has died after previously being hospitalized for meningitis.
His wife Shawna Stewart shared the news in a Facebook post, stating that he died on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Providence Saint Joseph Burbank Hospital in California. However, TMZ reported that they received conflicting information from a representative at the hospital, who said he had been discharged alive.
Monroe Jr., known for his roles in Menace II Society and The Players Club, was 52.
Credit: New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett
Stewart wrote in her tribute, “There are no words that can truly express the depth of my heartbreak or the emptiness I feel without you. Samuel, you were so much more than the talented actor, rapper the world knew and loved. You brought laughter, strength, kindness, and love into the lives of so many people.”
She continued to praise the strength he had during his health complications, calling him a “fighter.”
Stewart wrote, “Your journey on this earth may have come to an end, but your light will continue to shine.”
Monroe Jr.’s mom Joyce Patton also shared a tribute on Facebook, writing, “I want to thank all of my Facebook family and friends new and old for praying for Samuel Monroe, Jr., my son. But today God called him home. Please honor my final request to pray for the family, especially his 3 children.”
Patton shared in an earlier post that her son was having a procedure, and things were “not looking good.”
The actor is survived by Stewart and their three kids.
PEOPLE reached out to Patton, Stewart and Providence Saint Joseph Burbank Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 27.
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In April, Stewart told Fox News Digital that her husband was on life support after contracting meningitis when he was in Las Vegas for work.
“He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months,” she said at the time, adding that by the time he received a proper diagnosis, the infection had spread to his brain and spine.
Three months later, Stewart wrote on Facebook that Monroe Jr. had undergone his third brain surgery.
After the surgery, he “lost all ability to move any part of his body” and began having seizures. His wife noted that, at one point, he had 22 seizures in one hour.
At the time, she said the swelling in his brain had worsened and cerebrospinal fluid was leaking into the brain tissue.
Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock
A GoFundMe page was previously started to support his family.
Monroe Jr. was a ‘90s star, beginning with his role in 1993’s Menace II Society. He also appeared in Set It Off and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood in 1996, and The Players Club in 1998.
In 2019, he appeared in Adult Swim’s Black Jesus.
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