Entertainment

Ricky Harris Cause Of Death At 54: Report Claims ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ Actor, Comedian Suffered Heart Attack

Published on: December 27, 2016 at 2:12 AM
By Glenn Hadley

Ricky Harris, a longtime stand-up comedian and actor, passed away Monday at the age of 54.

Friends and family of the actor, who appeared in such TV shows as Moesha and Everybody Hates Chris , reportedly confirmed his death on social media. According to OkayPlayer , Ricky Harris”passed away after suffering a heart attack.”

Harris reportedly suffered a heart attack in late 2014 as well – the aftermath of which he briefly discussed during an interview with The Humor Mill last May.

“Everybody knows that I had a major heart attack, but God is good and I’m back. I’m back on the stage…getting better every day.”

A vast number of celebrities – including Ricky’s fellow actors and stand-up comedians – paid their respects with tribute and messages of condolences on Twitter shortly after the news of his passing was confirmed.

Rapper/actor Ice Cube tweeted that “the world is a little less funny today” after the tragic passing of Ricky Harris.

For more than two decades, Ricky Harris made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian, voice talent and actor. Over the years, according to IMDB , Harris racked up nearly 50 acting credits – including appearances in such popular series as CSI: NY , CSI: Miami , ER , NYPD Blue , and a recurring role on the popular 90s sitcom Moesha starring singer Brandy Norwood.

Perhaps one of Ricky’s most memorable TV roles was as Malvo on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris . The sitcom, which starred Terry Crews ( Brooklyn Nine-Nine ) and Tichina Arnold ( Martin ) was loosely based on the life of actor/comedian Chris Rock. Harris starred as the neighborhood criminal Malvo in five different episodes between 2006 and 2008.

Ricky Harris was never able to achieve an A-list status as an actor or receive the award-winning spotlight that some of his colleagues and longtime friends enjoyed in the business. However, he made it clear in a past interview with TheBeeShine.com that he primarily focused on his work ethic and maintaining a positive attitude through all of the ups and downs.

“I just try to work hard… As far as the movies and all of that stuff, you are going to get rejections. You are not going to get every role. You are not going to get every part… It’s how you deal with it. And for me, it’s like, ‘Hey, man. It wasn’t meant for me!’ I just keep rolling, smiling and trying to make people laugh… You just have to just set your own mark. You don’t compare yourself to nobody else.”

Ricky Harris further explained that he wanted people to look at his work and say that “he put in work” with everything that he did. His goal was to create a legacy of greatness, claiming that he was not going to allow anyone to stop him.

More recently, Ricky Harris appeared in the award-winning FX miniseries, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, as a protester in one of the episodes.

Ricky Harris’ passing adds his name to the unfortunate list of other celebrities that have passed away in 2016 – including actors such as Alan Rickman, Robert Vaughn, Florence Henderson, Alan Thicke and Zsa Zsa Gabor as well as such entertainers as Glenn Frey, George Michael, David Bowie and Prince.

[Featured Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]

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