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Wilmer Valderrama Pays Tribute To Sam Sarpong, Shares Inspiring Message

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 08:41 PST, Oct 29, 2015

Actor Wilmer Valderrama recently used social media to pay tribute to Sam Sarpong, his late friend and former co-star.

The Minority Report actor posted a photo on Instagram Wednesday featuring him and his former Yo Momma co-hosts along with a lengthy caption in honor of Sam.

Wilmer Valderrama
[Image via Wilmer Valderrama Instagram]

After expressing his own shock over the news of his tragic death, Wilmer reflected on the memorable moments that he and Sam shared while filming the hit MTV competition series, Yo Momma.

“Sam did it all, believed in dreaming bigger than anyone around him. We made memories together that will last us forever, thank you for sharing your talent with me and the world. You were a light everywhere you went and I couldn’t be more proud of the journey you traveled. You just left us too early, Sam. We will miss you and pray for you. Once again thank you for all those years you dedicated to our show, we couldn’t have done it without you! Find your peace my brother!”

Us Weekly reports that, after communicating with authorities from the Pasadena Police Department for seven hours, Sam Sarpong jumped from a bridge into the Arroyo Seco River.

According to a press release issued by the Pasadena Police Department, some of Sam Sarpong’s family members arrived before he jumped to provide background information about his emotional state.

Yo Momma, a television show created by Wilmer Valderrama, aired on MTV for three seasons from April 2006 to December 2007. Sarpong starred as one of the show’s co-hosts for the first and second seasons alongside Wilmer and Jason Everhart.

In an April 2006 interview with the New York Times, Valderrama opened up about how he came up with the idea of developing Yo Momma as a competition show in the first place.

According to the former That ’70s Show actor, the idea came to him while watching his 2001 film Summer Catch, which also starred Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jessica Biel, Brittany Murphy, and Matthew Lillard.

In one particular scene, two of the baseball players are trading “Yo Mama” insults.

MTV had apparently searched for an opportunity to work with Wilmer Valderrama on a project for several years. The network had already struck gold with Ashton Kutcher, another one of Wilmer’s former co-stars, thanks to his prank series Punk’d. Therefore, MTV apparently did not hesitate to get Wilmer’s show off of the ground.

Within the same Instagram caption that he used to pay tribute to Sam Sarpong, Wilmer also reached out to everyone that may be struggling “in a dark place” — encouraging them to talk to someone without delay.

“PLEASE, please talk to someone. Anyone. Trust me that we WILL listen.. You are not alone, there are so many people that feel the same darkness, let’s help one another, let us shine hope on all those that need our understanding! Reach out to someone and make your first step towards living a life you deserve.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Over 41,000 people died from suicide in 2013 throughout the U.S. alone.

Wilmer Valderrama concluded his heartwarming message by saying that his “prayers and heart are with family and friends that were blessed to know [Sam’s] beautiful soul.”

[Photo by Jason Merritt & Earl Gibson III/Getty Images]

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