- Culture
- 13 Apr 17
Charlie Murphy, who was the star of 'Chappelle's Show' and also wrote some of the film scripts for his more famous brother, has sadly passed away at the relatively young age of 57.
The older brother of Eddie Murphy died after a battle with leukemia. "Our hearts are heavy with the loss today of our son, brother, father, uncle and friend Charlie. Charlie filled our family with love and laughter and there won’t be a day that goes by that his presence will not be missed," said the Murphy family in a statement released last night.
Charlie made his acting debut back in 1989 in the movie ' Harlem Nights', which was directed by Eddie Murphy. He had bit parts in a few of Spike Lee's movies before getting his big break on the popular 'Chappelle's Show'.
The comedian went on to co-write his brother's movies 'Vampire in Brooklyn' and 'Norbit'. He also appeared alongside Ice Cube in 'The Player's Club', which the rapper wrote and directed. Ice Cube took to Twitter last night to pay tribute to Charlie. He wrote, "Damn, sorry to hear about my friend Charlie Murphy. He took a chance on a young director in The Player's Club. Always made me laugh. RIP."
Paying tribute, Chris Rock, who was Murphy's co-star in CB4, said last night: "We just lost one of the funniest most real brothers of all time. Charlie Murphy RIP. Charlie Murphy changed my life."
Charlie Murphy's wife of 12 years, Tisha Taylor Murphy died back in 2009 following her battle with cervical cancer.