Vanessa Williams is taking time off from her The devil wears Prada performing in London after the death of her mother, Helen Louise Williams.
Vanessa, 61, and her family wrote that Helen died on Dec. 28 of complications from acute liver failure, according to an obituary obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, Jan. 2. She was 85 years old.
The actress, currently playing Miranda Priestly in the West End musical adaptation The devil wears Pradawill take a short break from work before returning on Thursday, January 16, the show announced on Instagram on Friday, January 3. Debbie Kurup will play the role of Miranda Priestly during Williams’ absence.
The Ugly Betty star reposted a statement from the show on her Instagram Stories.
Vanessa Williams/Instagram
Williams’ mother, a music teacher, traveled overseas for the Sunday premiere on December 1 The devil wears Prada.
The trip was organized “so that she could celebrate her 85th birthday surrounded by 150 of her family and friends,” the obituary said. “During the visit, she suffered a major decline in health that ended her life.”
Helen was born on December 8, 1939 in Buffalo, NY, and became the youngest black student at the State University of New York at Fredonia at age 16. She worked as a music teacher for over 40 years in the Ossining and Manhattanville School Districts and was a professor at Manhattanville College. She retired in 1996.
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Sasha Fox/Instagram
After Helen’s death, several people posted tributes, including Sasha Fox, Williams’ daughter with former NBA player Rick Fox.
“On December 28th, the world lost a powerhouse, a dynamo and a force of nature packed into a 5-foot frame. Our mom, Helen Williams, known to many as Gaga, took her last bow in London 20 days after celebrating her 85th birthday surrounded by family and friends,” Williams wrote in a tribute on January 2. “It’s impossible to describe what she meant to everyone because each person saw a different aspect of her. A loyal friend to many, cold eyes to a select few. We will miss it all.”
Vanessa Williams’ mother Helen Louise Williams has died at 85
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Sasha Fox/Instagram
Fox posted a carousel of photos of her grandmother from different periods of her life on Instagram. “RIP Gaga,” she simply captioned the post.
The 24-year-old included several photos of Helen, from her elementary school days to graduation. She added moments of Helen as a little girl at the piano, as well as photos of her holding little Williams in her arms. Sasha also included photos of her grandmother and late grandfather, Milton Augustine Williams Jr., on their wedding day and in their home.
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Sasha Fox/Instagram
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Helen is also survived by her son Chris and Williams’ three older children, Melanie, 37, Jillian, 35, and Devin, 31, whom Vanessa shares with her first husband, Ramon Hervey II.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education