Yvette Wilson, who starred in the sitcoms “Moesha” and “The Parkers”, has died of complications from cervical cancer and kidney disease. She was just 48-years old.
Wilson also worked in film, playing the much-maligned but hilarious character “Rita” in “Friday”. She’s sent as a blind date to Smokey, played by Chris Tucker; comedy gold is struck when Smokey is told his date looks just like Janet Jackson but she gets out of the car “lookin’ more like Freddie Jackson”. Wilson’s brief scene is one of the film’s more memorable ones and proves she had the comedic chops to go far in her career. Her illness derailed that, however, and her last appearance was in the 2005 film “Ganked”.
Warning: language is NSFW
Shar Jackson, who worked with Wilson on “Moesha”, tweeted about her loss last night, saying she was heartbroken.
I wanna thank all my tweeties for their prayers but god has chosen to take my sister Yvette home.. …
Wilson’s IMDB page is woefully lacking, without even a photo of the actress, proving her life was cut dramatically short before we could enjoy her talents.