Many of us remember comedic actress, Yvette Wilson, for her role as “Andell,” on the 90’s sitcom, “Moesha,” or either from her brief, but crazy funny scene in “Friday,” when she played Chris Tucker’s blind date who “looked like Janet Jackson.” Yvette had several other roles through her time here as well, but what some may not know is that Yvette passed away at the very young age of 48.
Yvette’s death came as a shock to many of her fans, because Yvette was always a bubbly personality whom made us laugh with her uniquely squeaky voice. It never occurred to many of us that her voice was slowly being muted as the days went by and she began to fight for her life.
She passed away on June 14, 2012 from cervical cancer. Although she’d battled the cancer once before and was in remission for a while, the cancer aggressively returned and ultimately claimed her life. Yvette also had severe kidney problems and had received a kidney transplant after her kidneys failed, but up until the time of her death, she was still having issues with kidney function.
What Yvette Wilson Did For Her Funeral
According to her family revealed to The Mississippi Link, Yvette had surprisingly planned her entire funeral, including the “party menu!”She told her fam’ exactly how she wanted it to be and the vibe she wanted people to be on as they mourned her. In fact, she made it clear that she didn’t want any mourning whatsoev,’ but rather, a feel good party of sorts, and she wanted no “sadness.” The service was held in her hometown of Jackson, MS; attended by her relatives, “Moesha” cast mates, and other celebs. Yvette’s mother revealed this:
“Yvette had prepared us for this. She left specific instructions that she did not want a funeral; she did not want sadness; she wanted a party. She said, ‘I don’t want people crying, I want them to celebrate’,” said Yvette’s mother, Thelma McDonald.
Her family honored Yvette’s wishes. On “Independence Day, they paid homage to Yvette, by turning her funeral into a “memorial party,” per her instructions.
Yvette’s cousin stated, ““It was filled with laughter. Everyone talked about how helpful Yvette was. I can attest to that, because she helped me when my father (her uncle) died. I wanted to get up and share that, but I knew I would cry.”
She Hid Illness From Friends, But Jamie Foxx Showed Up Anyway
One of Yvette’s good friends was Jamie Foxx, whom according to her family, she wanted to hide her illness from. However, Jamie still showed up for his dear friend in her last days:
“She did not want a lot of people to know that she was ill,” she said. “One time, she did not want her friend Jamie [Foxx] or anyone to know which hospital she was in, but he found her.”
Yvette Wilson’s Last Days
Prior to Yvette’s passing, her loved ones set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her treatments and to cover her mounting medical bills. Unfortunately, Yvette died while funds were still being raised. Family of the actress/comedian described her as a woman who was fiercely independent and always made a way out of no way. She was also known to be a “giver,” which is why it took some extreme convincing for Yvette to finally accept the Go Fund Me account her loved ones set up for her health costs:
“She attended until she could not. Then she would watch the services on television,” her mother explained. “She never complained about her illness; she remained hopeful. She still wanted to help people. Her friends had to beg her permission to set up that fund on her behalf. They told her, ‘you are always helping others; let people help you now.’ That was the only way she gave in to them.
Mom Details Yvette’s Final Hope
Yvette’s mother revealed “She had just told me about three weeks before she died: ‘I’m going to the family reunion with you, mama.’” The reunion was just weeks away at the time, but sadly, the “Moesha” star didn’t get a chance to see that day.
What’s most touching is that one last time, Yvette Wilson unselfishly wanted to bring joy to others, even in death, by planning her own funeral and morphing it into a party. How beautiful is that?!! Rest on Yvette, your legacy is living on after a job well done.
