Actor and former boyfriend Malcolm-Jamal Warner was at her bedside when
she died on December 23, 1998.
Once diagnosed with cancer, she refused treatments for her condition
because she was afraid that they would interfere with her chances of
conceiving children. She passed away before she had
any children.
During the last season of Family Matters (1989), her cancer grew worse,
making it harder for her to do her scenes. Her screen time grew shorter
and shorter, and she had to leave the show in 1998, shortly
before it was canceled.
Miss Talented Teen New Jersey in Hal Jackson's Talented Teen
Competition. She went on to compete in the international pageant in
Jamaica and was crowned International Queen in 1985.