(LibertySociety.com) – Former “Mad TV” star Erica Ash passed away last Sunday at the age of 46.
In a statement released by her publicist, Ash’s mother Diann said the comedian lost her battle with cancer on August 4 and died in Los Angeles.
Diann Ash described her daughter as an “amazing woman and talented entertainer” whose wit and humor “touched countless lives.”
Ash, who was a master at sketch comedy, also starred in BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” During her stint on the Fox sketch comedy show “Mad TV,” Ash portrayed former First Lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
She was also a regular performer in the series “The Big Gay Sketch Show,” created by Rosie O’Donnell.
Ash also appeared in the films “Scary Movie V,” “Survivor’s Remorse,” and “Uncle Drew.”
Comedian Loni Love expressed her remorse at Ash’s passing in a post on X, describing Ash as “talented” and “hilarious.” Love said the actress “put her all into her work” and was always there.
In the parody series “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” Ash played the ex-wife of actor Kevin Hart.
In a 2017 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ash said after appearing in “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” the only roles she was offered were characters similar to the one she played on the series. Ash told the LA Times that while the money was good, she wanted a more varied career.
Ash attended Emory University in Atlanta where she hoped to study medicine. But after taking a break from school and traveling to Japan, she embraced a career in modeling and performance. She had her first film credit while living in Japan.
Ash described herself as “the Forrest Gump of my field,” explaining that her career had consisted of walking “blindly by faith” through her life saying “yes” to everything that came along.
The actress also appeared on Broadway in “Baby It’s You” and starred in the touring company of “The Lion King.”
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