Heavy Hallmark star Holly Robinson Peete grieves the death of her friend.
A Hallmark star is grieving over the death of a good friend. Holly Robinson Peete took to social media to pay tribute to Keisha Whitaker, the former wife of actor Forest Whitaker.
Keisha’s death was first revealed via an Instagram Story by her daughter, True. “Goodbye mommy. I love you 4ever and beyond,” she wrote.
“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,” she continued in her December 7 post.
Peete wrote that Keisha’s death was “A crushing loss.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Holly Robinson Peete Praised Keisha Whitaker’s Support
A few hours after news of Keisha’s death emerged, Peete shared a photo of the two of them on her Instagram page. “I will miss my longtime friend Keisha Whitaker, who I just adored,” the Hallmark star wrote in the caption.
Peete continued, This one really hurts in a lot of ways…. Sending love to her children during this time.” She shared a bit about her connection to Keisha as well. “Keisha was a light. Keisha was so supportive of all the things I did for HollyRod and in fact anything I did in life.”
HollyRod is the foundation the Hallmark star and her husband founded in 1999. The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and provide support for families who have loved ones with Parkinson’s disease and autism.
Whitaker “loved and adored her friends,” Peete noted. She closed the caption of her post by writing, “Rest, easy, sis. Out of pain and soaring.”
A number of colleagues and fans posted comments of support on Peete’s Instagram post.
“#GONETOOSOON #RESTINPARADISE,” wrote Vivica A. Fox.
“Oh my goodness. My deepest condolences to the families. May Keisha rest in eternal comfort,” a supporter commented.
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Tina Knowles, known by most as Beyonce’s mom, commented, “So sorry Holly I know you loved her ❤️so sad to hear this ❤️ prayers to her family ❤️.”
Stylist Phillip Bloch wrote, “Crushed We lost a good friend we had some say good memories together 💔 She supported us all and we supported sure that’s what friends are for..🙏🏿🙏🏽🙏🏻”
A fan of Peete’s shared, “Condolences to you and all who loved her. Losing a chosen family member is really hard. May she sleep with the Angels! 🙏🏾🙏🏾✝️✝️”
Keisha was 51 at the time of her death, noted Deadline. She met her former husband in 1994 while they were both on the movie set of “Blown Away.”
They got married in 1996, but he filed for divorce in 2018. The divorce was finalized in 2021 according to Essence. They shared two daughters, True and Sonnet. He already had a son, Ocean, and she had another daughter, Autumn, before their marriage.
Keisha modeled, and her IMDb page shares she took on some acting and producing roles too. She also led TLC’s “Who Are You Wearing,” a series that aired for one season in 2008.
An official cause of death for Keisha has not been revealed yet.