Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry shared a lengthy tribute to her friend, fellow scene-stealer Natalie Desselle-Reid, who passed away on Monday from colon cancer at age 53.
The two starred together in the 1997 cult-classic film B.A.P.S., directed by Robert Townsend.
“I’m still processing this devastating news – and as I continue to read all of your kind words, memories of Natalie continue to flood back to me,’ Berry began.
“@iamroberttownsend facilitated our divine connection by uniting us in roles that would change our lives and impact our culture for generations to come. I am forever grateful for that moment. Natalie was one of the most precious people I’ve ever known,” she wrote.
“The second I met her our hearts were intertwined,” Berry shared. “We had a connection that was simply unexplainable, and she stayed her same sweet self all the years I knew her.”
With Desselle-Reid, Berry asserted, she “laughed harder than I’d ever laughed before.”
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She said they both treasured #BAPS tributes and that they were “overwhelmed that our on-screen friendship meant as much to you as it did to us.”
“Natalie represented actual black women, not what black women are perceived to be,” Berry continued. “For that, she was often underrated, passed over – deprived of the platform she truly deserved. But her light continues to shine through the people who grew up watching her, the people who knew her best and those of us who loved her.”
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“Above all, she was a daughter, wife, friend, and mother; and my heart is with her entire family, especially with Leonard, Sereno, Summer and Sasha. ‘I’ll love you forever my sweet friend. ima miss you Nat Dog!” she concluded.
The post was accompanied by 10 photos of Desselle-Reid, several featuring the two together in their iconic B.A.P.S. roles.
The family of the actress confirmed her passing on her Instagram page, sharing that “she was a bright light in this world. A queen. An extraordinary mother and wife. Her diverse career touched so many and she will be loved forever.”
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