Keisha Nash Whitaker, Forest Whitaker’s ex-wife, dies at 51

Keisha Nash Whitaker and Forest Whitaker were married from 1996 to 2018.

2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards - Arrivals
SANTA MONICA, CA - MARCH 01: Actor/filmmaker Forest Whitaker (L) and Keisha Nash Whitaker attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on March 1, 2014 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Keisha Nash Whitaker, an actress, producer, businesswoman and ex-wife of Forest Whitaker, has passed away at 51.

2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards - Arrivals
Actor/filmmaker Forest Whitaker and Keisha Nash Whitaker attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on March 1, 2014, in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Forest Whitaker and Keisha Nash Whitaker’s daughter, True Whitaker, 25, shared the news in an Instagram story, per Deadline. “goodbye mommy,” she wrote. “I love you 4ever and beyond. the most beautiful woman in the world … thank you for teaching me every single thing I know. I’ll see you in my dreams and I’ll feel you in my heart.” The couple’s daughter also shared a photo of her late mother with Donny Hathaway’s song “A Song For You” playing in the post.

A cause of death was not released.

Keisha Nash Whitaker and Forest Whitaker first met on the set of “Blown Away” in 1994, according to People. The actor proposed to her the following year, leading to a 22-year marriage, from 1996 to 2018.

“He is very honest and sensitive and romantic,” she told People Magazine in 1997 when discussing her then-husband. “He swept me off my feet — not with material things, more like the way he displayed his emotions.”

In addition to their 25-year-old daughter, the two share another daughter, Sonnet Noel. The duo both have children from previous relationships. Forest Whitaker has an older son, Ocean, while Keisha Nash Whitaker has another daughter, Autumn.

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Forest Whitaker filed for divorce from Keisha Nash Whitaker in 2018, as theGrio previously reported. The Oscar winner cited irreconcilable differences at the time.

Keisha Nash Whitaker’s other credits include the role of Collette in the 2004 film “Proud,” and executive producing Kief Davidson’s “Kassim the Dream.” In addition to acting and producing, she also created her own luxury cosmetics line, Kissable Couture, with A.J. Crimson.

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