Okay ILOSM family, let us just start this off with the appropriate expression to sum up what you’re about to read: ‘Laaaaaawd…REALLY?!!’ Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we’ll dig into what the significant other of the late actor, Bernie Casey, once claimed in court docs…soon after his passing.

You all remember Bernie, right? He’s the NFL baller-turned-actor, whose known for countless roles throughout the 1970’s and beyond. He was Tamara Dobson’s love interest in the classic film, “Cleopatra Jones.” He also starred in dramas, like “Black Gunn,” Cornbread, Earl & Me,” and Never Say Never Again.” We also can’t forget how he cracked us up in comedies like “Revenge of the Nerds” and one of my personal favorites, “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”

Why Bernie Casey’s ‘Widow’ Is Suing His Estate

All of Bernie Casey’s hard work clearly paid off and apparently isn’t going unnoticed by Cheryl Castillo (pictured with Casey below) who, in legal docs, referred to herself as Bernie Casey’s ‘widow,’ even though they were not legally married. In fact, in June 2018 she filed legal docs against Bernie’s estate, claiming that he ‘tackled her like a football player’ just a few 9 days before he died in September 2017. Below is what was originally reported at that time:

Via TMZ: The estate of Bernie Casey…is being sued by a woman claiming to be his widow, who alleges the 78-year-old violently tackled her to the ground just 1 week before his death. The woman behind the suit is Cheryl Castillo — who claims she and Bernie lived together in L.A. as husband and wife … but things went south during an altercation on Sept. 10, [2017].

According to her lawsuit, Castillo claims she was having an argument with Casey over their cars, when he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and tackled her to the ground “as though [she] was a football player.” […] Castillo claims she suffered injuries from the alleged attack and wants Casey’s estate to fork over some big money to make things right.

Mind you, Ms. Castillo made these claims 9 months after the alleged assault and his passing. That’s neither here nor there though. What’s most important is how this lawsuit against her own deceased ‘husband’ turned out.

Estate Settled Case With ‘Widow’ Girlfriend:
Turns out, Ms. Castillo got what she wanted from her lawsuit against her deceased boyfriend:

Via TMZ– The former NFL-star-turned-actor’s estate has settled with Cheryl Castillo for a cool $250k. Cheryl had previously claimed she and Bernie were husband and wife but has since filed docs clarifying they were never married and only lived together.

On a side note…wonder if Bernie left a will, and if so, did he NOT include Castillo in it? The jury’s still out on that one until further evidence is provided…moving on…

Cause Of Bernie Casey’s Death

Sadly, Bernie Casey suddenly passed away on September 19, 2017 at 78 years young. He suffered a stroke, which ultimately claimed his life. According to his woman, Cheryl Castillo, she believes that his deteriorating physical health throughout the years is what caused him to reportedly have mental issues later on.

Typically, Bernie was a physically fit brotha for most of his life. In the 1960’s, he made noise in the NFL for eight seasons. He’s mostly known for playing the fullback and wide receiver positions. He was an NFL player from 1961 to 1968 and spent his career with The San Franciso 49ers and The Los Angeles Rams. Following his NFL stint, he did what his former “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” co-star, Jim Brown, also did- hit up the Hollywood scene and proved that he had a knack for acting.

Ultimately, 24 television roles and 38 films later, Bernie is –and forever will be– a well respected NFL superstar-acting legend. Rest on Bernie.