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Actore, Paul Sorvino — best known for his roles in “Goodfellas” and Law & Order — has passed away today. The news spread after his wife — 54-year-old actress/political strategist, Dee Dee Benkie, confirmed his passing. Now, his daughter has spoken out as well.

Sorvino’s Wife And Actress-Daughter Give Details Of His Passing

According to TMZ, Sorvino’s rep, Roger Neal, tells us he died this morning with his wife Dee Dee by his side. Dee Dee says, “Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage.”

Paul’s daughter is Oscar-winning actress, Mira Sorvino, who released the following Twitter statement after his passing:

“My father the great Paul Sorvino has passed. My heart is rent asunder- a life of love and joy and wisdom with him is over. He was the most wonderful father. I love him so much. I’m sending you love in the stars Dad as you ascend.”

Mira Sorvino thanked her father, Paul Sorvino, in her Oscars acceptance speech, which brought him to tears pic.twitter.com/ebzpTT1IKb

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 25, 2022

FYI: Mira is also one of former Hollywood honcho, Harvey Weinstein’s, accusers. Paul was highly pissed off after he found out what allegedly happened to his daughter at the hands of Weinstein, and he supposedly made his disdain for Harvey public in interviews and such.

Sorvino And Daughter Had Opposing Views About Trump

In 2016, Paul who’d previously shown support for more liberal politicians in the past, raised a few brows after he seemed to show support for then-president, Donald Trump…although, we’re uncertain if his views changed as Trump’s presidency unfolded thereafter.

Paul’s actress-daughter Mira, however, had a totally different outlook on Trump at that time:

Via – The Hill – “Look, at this point I’m going to vote for Hillary [Clinton] unless something drastic happens in the last two weeks. I cannot not vote because any not-vote is a vote for [GOP presidential nominee Donald] Trump.”

“I have my questions,” Sorvino says of the Democratic White House hopeful, “but I’ll vote for Hillary because the alternative is a horror show.”

“I think at this point you can pretty much consider him an accused sex offender,” Sorvino says of Trump.

The “Goodfellas” OG had appearances in nearly 50 films throughout his lengthy career. However, it was his very believable role as mobster, “Paul Cicero,” in the 1990 classic film, “Goodfellas,” that made him a fan-favorite.

One of Paul’s more recent roles was his appearance in “The Godfather Of Harlem,” alongside the series’ lead star, Forest Whitaker.

Paul Sorvino was 83 years young; and he is survived by his three children – actresses, Mira and Amanda Sorvino; and actor/producer son, Michael Sorvino. May he rest peacefully.

In 1974, the world watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her ’60s/’70s TV show, “Julia.” Though many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she was a poor, single mother on welfare, raising six kids…she pulled it off, and Claudine forever went down in history as a ’70s cult classic film…BUT…

Initially, the film’s producers tried to convince Cicely Tyson to take the “Claudine” role. However, she turned it down, and there’s a very valid reason why Ms. Tyson couldn’t see herself playing such a character.

Cicely Tyson Kept It Real…

In a prior interview with her friend/actress, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson revealed she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she did not want to portray that type of ‘stereotypical’ character. Therefore, she declined…but there’s more:

Cicely Tyson: I had been offered a film [Claudine] that was well-written and ultimately well-produced. I read it and knew that it wasn’t something I could do because it was about a Black woman who was living with some man. They were not married. She had six children, illegitimate, with different men, and I knew that was not something that I wanted to do, so I passed. I was called by the producer and the writer of the movie, who asked why I was turning it down, and I explained that it wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to portray. The writer said, “But those ladies are out there.” I said, “Yes, I know, but there are a lot of other ladies out there. Doctors, lawyers. I want the world to know about those kinds of ladies. That’s what I want to do.” They finally decided that I was not going to do it and it went to another actress [Diahann Carroll] who did it and was nominated for an Oscar for it. They all said to me, “See, you could have had two Oscar nominations.” I said, “That’s what you would have been happy with, but not me.” Six weeks later, I got Jane Pittman. Had I been involved in doing this other movie, I would not have been available to play Jane.

That same year, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released. She played a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from a slave, to a free person at the end of the Civil War, and living well into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

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While “Jane” was a far cry from “Claudine,” it can be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild after generations of oppression, and while trying to navigate through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare – have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So, both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances.

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

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Actress, Diana Sands (pictured above), was originally casted as “Claudine,” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones (“Roop”) were doing a love scene. Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, Sands discovered she had a terminal form cancer, leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann, take the part instead. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May each of these iconic women rest peacefully.

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Decades later, a Whispers member publicly spoke about the day he decided to make a bad decision, and how he ended up paying for it. The year was 1980 and you would have thought that the Whispers had all of the opportunity in the world to continue a successful stay in the music industry, but while we were all jammin’ to the Whispers’ new record, “And The Beat Goes On,” one of their members was jammin’ to the sound of ‘cha-ching’ while carrying out a $1.8 million dollar heist!

That member is LeaVeil Degree, who was 31 years old at the time. He’s now very remorseful about doing this and here is what happened…

The Whispers Singer, LeaVeil Degree, Explains What Happened

According to the legal documents:

When LeaVeil Degree was 31, he and his brother David, whom was 24 at the time, pleaded guilty in a $1.8 million stolen jewelry case after U.S. attorneys agreed to drop some of the most serious charges against them in their 17-count federal grand jury indictment.

LeaVeil’s wife, Kimberly, whom was 24 at the time, pleaded guilty to a felony count of possession of stolen mail and then 19 year old Rochelle Florio, pleaded guilty to obstructing the mail, a misdemeanor charge.

About $800,000 of the stolen goods were retrieved.

In the plea bargaining, the Degree brothers told U.S. District Judge Irving Hill that they would cooperate in an attempt to recover the remaining $1 million in jewels and furs still missing. The million dollar jewels and furs were never recovered.

David Degree also agreed to testify against Edna Delgardo, who was 25 at the time. In exchange, a conspiracy charge against LeaVeil Degree and theft charges against both brothers would be dropped.

The federal indictment stated that Delgardo gave David Degree the key to her postal truck, which was parked in the Jewelry District of Los Angeles. It further charged that David drove the truck to LeaVeils’s home, where the two brothers unloaded the goods.

At the time of his aforementioned case, LeaVeil was facing a possible 15-year prison term and a $6,000 fine, or both on tree counts. That fine sounds really small nowadays in comparison to the crime, but in 1980 that was a pretty decent sized slap on the wrist.

Wow, they had a real life Ocean’s Eleven type of scheme going!

His Prior Health Battle

On a side note, LeaVeil had to face an even bigger hurdle years back at the age of 59 (he’s 73 now). He’d found out he had coronary artery disease, having to get four stints placed near his heart to prevent him from having heart attacks and other heart complications in the future. LeaVeil also always makes it a point to urge men, in particular Black men to make sure that you do not allow your pride to get the best of you and prevent you from waiting to long to go to the doctor, because that’s what he says he did.

He’s doing great now with his health and he’s back on stage performing with his music “brothers”: Walter Scott and Wallace “Scotty” Scott. Their former member, Gordy Harmon is no longer a part of the group, and members, Marcus Hutson and Nicholas Caldwell sadly passed away in 2000 and 2016 respectively.

Where LeaVeil Degree Is Now

Ever since resolving his legal troubles back in the day, LeaVeil has become a changed man who has never made the mistake of getting caught up in the love for quick money again. It’s amazing how one bad choice with tough consequences is sometimes needed in order for us to get the message. Here at ILOSM, we love these Old School entertainers and LeaVeil Degree’s story just further proves what we always say: ‘That great success does not come without great failures.’

If you know anything about the film, Purple Rain, then you’re bound to remember the characters with even the most smallest of roles in that iconic 1984 classic. Singer/actress, Jill Jones, is widely known for her role as the ‘nightclub waitress,’ who was sweet on “The Kid” (Prince’s character) in the movie. There are several other factors about her that many people may not know. Some of those include the fact that she was dating Prince back then (as were a few other female singers too), and that she has an unexpected deep family connection to the infamous Gordy fam.’

Jill exposed many previously unknown tidbits of shocking info about her past in a prior interview with Huffington Post.

Jill Jones On Why Prince Made Her Pass For White

In case y’all hadn’t noticed, even though Jill is oftentimes mistaken for a 100% Caucasian women, she’s actually African American and Italian. During the time that Jill was a part of Prince’s band, it was her White side, that her then-boyfriend, Prince, used to his band’s advantage when it came to uppin’ their spins on channels with predominantly White audiences, according to Jill.

When explaining how grateful she was that Prince gave a “voice” to biracial women like herself back then, Jill detailed his larger plan at connecting with all audiences…by tricking non-Black folks to an extent:

Jill Jones- “[Prince] really gave us a voice because I went through my life trying to figure out how do I fit in? Prince kind of helped. It appealed to putting blonde hair on me made the ratio on stage to appeal to the MTV generation. Black folks always knew I was Black. It’s just…we know (laughs).”

Despite It All… Jill Says Prince Was Pro-Black All Day, Everyday

Even though Prince did what he felt he had to do in to get his music videos seen and heard by the masses back in the day, Jill says do NOT get it twisted, the brotha was about as pro-Black as they come in real life:

Huffington Post- Though his image was provocative, he proudly embraced being Black.

Jill Jones- Having a Black man kissing a White woman on stage was provocative because it addressed what was happening in the culture. He came back to it [his Black roots]. He loved performing and he loved our community. He had the capacity to really set the world on fire with his words. […] He had a public side that he wanted to show but once he left the white record system, he was free to be, “This is who I really am.” He was a brotha. I don’t care what people wanna say. No, he was not Sammy lunchmeat! I’m sitting here and looking at everyone revising his history and somebody has to get on it because they’re just leaving out the chunks that matter!

Jill Jones & The Gordy Family Are Connected On A Deep Level

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Jill Jones is Berry Gordy’s step-niece and the stepdaughter to Berry’s Motown Records executive brother, Fuller Gordy. Her mother was a well-known manager in the industry, who worked with many known artists alongside husband, Fuller. It was during a tour that her mom and stepdad were both involved, that then teenaged Jill met Prince:

“I don’t meet people and say something provocative. He [Prince] stirred my being, he unnerved me, he rattled me. I had not met anyone like him and I was really defiant with him out of the reactionary response. I was walking up the stairs coming from the sound check, he was coming down and we looked at each other eye-to-eye and kind of stopped. He said, ‘Hi.’ I went, ‘Hi. So what, the stage isn’t big enough for all of us or something really sh——.”

Years later, the two started dating and Prince had written the song, “She’s Always In My Hair,” about Jill Jones for his 1985 album, “Around the World In A Day.” However, Jill says that by the time Prince’s movie, Grafitti Bridge was released, she soon learned that, so was she- at least from Prince’s romantic life, that is:

“When you got an album completed, you were done as a romantic interest. Like, you were still there but he was putting you in a place where you weren’t going to just be a happy power couple. You were given your wings to go do your thing. His ability to let go of your how fast or slow, that’s because he was juggling, like we say, the inspiration for all these women. Some guys send you flowers, Prince would just give you an album (laughs).”

I tell ya,’ the things we learn when we do a lil’ digging.

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Before her marriage to former 49ers cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kerry Washington was once engaged to her longtime boyfriend, who was also a child actor who was a main character in a very popular ’80s movie.

While Washington is mostly known for her role as ‘Olivia Pope,’ on the prior hit ABC series, Scandal, her former fiance’ was doing his thing on screen long before we could say, “It’s handled” (only the true Scandal fans know what that line means). Scroll down to check out who her actor ex-fiance’ is…

Meet Kerry’s Former Fiance’

Meet actor, Davis Moscow. Washington dated Moscow for four years and like we mentioned earlier, they were so ‘crazy in love,’ that they were planning to get married. You may not recognize actor, David as an adult, but many of us Old Schoolers would probably recognize his kid photo…

He Was Tom Hanks’ Co-Star In “Big” Movie

Remember the 1988 hit movie, Big, starring Tom Hanks? In case the movie doesn’t ring a bell, David Moscow played the character of young ‘Josh Baskin,’ who encounters a mysterious fortune-telling machine where he makes a wish. ‘Baskin’ wishes to be “big” and his wish is granted when he becomes an adult overnight. The adult version of ‘Josh Baskin’ is played by actor, Tom Hanks.

Why They Broke Up

While Moscow is mostly known for his role in the movie “Big”, he is also known for dating Kerry Washington. Kerry and David met in high school and started dating in 2002. They got engaged in October of 2004 and split up in February of 2007. According to Kerry, the decision to break up was mutual. In speaking with Essence magazine, she shared that their break up wasn’t focused on who made mistakes but that it simply wasn’t working. Despite the fact that their break up was mutual, it was still very painful.

“When we were planning the wedding, I didn’t even feel like picking out a dress,” Kerry shared with Essence. “But I didn’t rush things; I let my intuition guide me. We realized that even though we love each other on a very profound level, we were doing emotional gymnastics to try to work things out. We thought that instead, maybe we should walk away. Of course, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been painful.”

Moving On:

When Kerry was dating David, their relationship was very public and they were often photographed with big smiles on their faces. This time around, Kerry did something different and kept her new relationship very quiet. After dating former 49ers cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha, for 3 years…the couple wed in June 2013. Once saddened about her breakup from Moscow, Kerry recovered and went from feeling heartbroken, to feeling happy. The couple have two young children: daughter, Isabelle Amarachi and son, Caleb Kelechi.

Like Kerry, David has also moved on too.  David Moscow, married his fiancée, Karen Riotoc, in September 2014. Taking a chapter out of Washington’s book, he reportedly didn’t let anyone know that he was dating or getting married. His wedding took everyone by surprise. Riotoc is not a celebrity but a everyday person. According to Hitberry, she works for Radium One, an online advertising company. Avoiding the red carpet, the couple chooses to live their life in private.

Actress/comedian, Sherri Shepherd, had us crackin’ up the other day, during an interview on “The Breakfast Club.” She chopped it up about everything– from her allegedly money-grubbin’ ex-husband; her special needs son; and more. However, what REALLY caught us off guard, was when she recalled the hilarious time that Eric B. (of the legendary rap group, Eric B. & Rakim), apparently tried to entice her to have a threesome with him and his then-actress-girlfriend, who is also Sherri’s late friend.

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Who’s Eric B.’s Late Ex?

In the video interview below, Sherri said Eric B. was in a relationship with the beloved actress/comedian, Yvette Wilson. Remember Yvette? She was hilarious in the “Friday” film…but she’s most known for her roles in the ’90s sitcoms, “The Parkers” and “Moesha.”

Sadly, Yvette passed away in 2012 at age 48, following a battle with cancer, but memories like the hilarious one Sherri has now revealed, will continue to help her legacy live on. Peep Sherri’s details below…

Sherri Shepherd Details Her Reaction During Eric B’s & Yvette’s Threesome Proposition

The former “The View” host reminisced about her throwback days with her good friend, Yvette Wilson. Sherri Shepherd told the “Breakfast” co-hosts about her awkwardness and naïveté in her early days in Hollywood, due to being raised in a Jehovah’s Witness household. One such awkward encounter was with Eric B. (pictured below, right) and Yvette, which Sherri admits brought her sheer terror at the time…even though she can laugh about it now…

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Sherri Shepherd: “I was a Jehovah’s witness…I was so sheltered, I never did any of that. […] I was so nerdy and sheltered and…it was a very strict upbringing. […] But I saw a lot of stuff…when I was doing stand-up and I was just so sheltered. […] People doing menage’ trois’ and all kinds of sex stuff going on and I didn’t…I didn’t know what it was! And I remember my girlfriend, she passed away, but she used to be on Mo’Nique’s show, ‘The Parkers’- Yvette Wilson. … And she was dating a rapper at the time (whom Sherri later revealed was Eric B) and I swear to God [laughs], they were in a [hotel] room one time and I had went to see her. … They called me up to the room, ’cause she was like ‘Come hang out with everybody.'”

When Sherri got to the hotel, she said several rappers were there at the gathering, including “MC Brain and all these other rappers were hangin’ out,” but then Eric B. and Yvette had her go into a separate room with just the three of them…

SS: “So she called me up and she was dating a rapper, it was her boyfriend [Eric B.]… I had two french braids in my hair, white bobbi socks, and white tennis shoes, with overalls, with the bow…that’s HOW sheltered I was.

And I remember Yvette had been drinking and they were kissing and I was sitting in the chair like, ‘Oh my God…what am I supposed to do?’ … I’m sitting in the chair and I’m watching, like ‘Oh my Gosh…oh my gosh, OHHH my Goshhhh. … And they’re just kissing …and I remember [Eric B.] looked at me and I was like, ‘What are you looking at me for?’ …My eyes were like, really wide. And I remember Yvette, she looked at me like ‘C’monnnnn, C’monnnn!!!'”

Sherri’s response was a terrified:

“Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm…nah, my momma told me ’bout this.’ [laughs] And [Eric B.] was just staring at me. … This why I don’t like older men with these younger girls, because they don’t know nothing. You know, you got these girls who are sheltered and they’re out here in this Hollywood life and they don’t know. And I remember running to the door and Yvette was like ‘Where you goooing?!!’ And I was like, ‘I got to get on the bus and go home’ [laughs].

HILARIOUS! We knew Eric B. “would make ’em clap to this” — as in Eric B. & Rakim’s fans clapping their hands to their music — but according to Sherri, Eric B. wanted her to get tuh ‘clappin’ something else. ☺️

Music legend, Teddy Riley, done had it up to HERE with the mother of one of his children…and now he’s speaking out.

The New Jack Swing hitmaker took to social media to put his son’s mother on full blast the other day. Why? Because he says she’s been refusing to let him see his seed. As in, he actually wants to be a father to his child…not just a bank, or sperm donor, apparently.

Anywho, as y’all may know…Teddy has eight children, ranging from ages 10 to 30-something, and he’s been consistently co-parenting all of them. However, it’s the mother of his youngest baby, he’s currently going through it with, it seems.

Teddy shared a video collage (below) of he and his son on July 17, 2022 (his son’s birthday), along with the following lengthy caption:

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A post shared by Teddy Riley (@teddyriley1)

“This is probably one of the saddest days of my life. It’s my baby son‘s birthday today and I haven’t seen him in three years plus. I’ve done everything that I’m supposed to do as a father financially & mentally but because this woman have process evil way, I have to deal with the corrupted government ATL system just to see my son but that will all change. Thank God I’m a AMERICAN NATIONAL citizen and my day will come to be with my son for the rest of his life and mine. I’m being patient for that day, and when it comes I shall celebrate, because he deserves to live a great life as a Prince of a King!

Please help me wish my babyboy “Prince Mykal Theo Riley” a Happy Birthday!!!! I love you to pieces and the battle “Ain’t Over”. #BirthdayBoy #HappyBirthday #PRINCE #legacy #globalcommunicationentertainment

Teddy then encouraged all fathers who are following him on Instagram, to seek legal help if they are going through the same thing as he says he is with his baby moms. He wrote, “Time for the Bullish to stop and father to be with their children!!!!!

Typically, we hear about ‘deadbeat dads’ in the media, but Teddy Riley’s latest reveal sheds a spotlight on the many fathers out there who are — or are trying to be — real daddy’s to their kids. As far as we know, the mother of Teddy’s youngest son hasn’t yet spoken publicly on this matter. Hopefully, with whatever issues she and Teddy may be going through will amicably be resolved in due time. Best wishes to them all.

Most of us Old Schoolers remember actor/film producer/playwright, Leon Isaac Kennedy. How could we forget him, right? He was one of the most controversial, charismatic celebs of the 80’s era. His pretty boy boxer role as ‘Martel ‘Too Sweet’ Gordone” in Penitentiary 1, 2, and 3 made him a household name. While his “Leon ‘The Lover’ Johnson” role in Body and Soul made the fellas wanna be like him and the ladies wanna be with him.

Needless to say, the only apple of his eye back then was his then wife, Jayne Kennedy. However, after their infamous sex tape leaked (that’s right Kim Kardashian…bow down to those who paved the way for you), all hell broke lose…and so did their marriage.

Fast forward to today, and at 73 years young, the brotha is out here still making major moves with his many careers. Not only did Leon shock the hell outta everybody by transitioning from his on-screen ‘loverboy’ persona, to a real life evangelist, he is now a very successful entrepreneur, who’s latest ventures are garnering attention.

Peep How Else Leon Isaac Kennedy’s Earned Major $$

Kennedy Turned Smokey Robinson’s Business Into HUGE Success…

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As his press release states, one of Kennedy’s most recent entrepreneurial successes was creating a Brand Company for his longtime best friend- the iconic Smokey Robinson. Matter of fact, ‘the successful Smokey Robinson Foods was placed in over 3,500 stores. It was the first minority food company to be taken nationally by the billion-dollar food chains, Albertsons and Safeway. He not only came up with the idea & star, but raised the million plus dollars and most importantly, found the distributors for marketing the product.’

Leon has also helped brand and market Smokey’s and his wife, Frances Robinson’s, latest skin care line, Skinphonic.

But That Ain’t All…

His Podcast Was Poppin’

Leon Isaac Kennedy Interviews Commercial Realtor Dorian Carter on the https://t.co/WiElc10xBd Entrepreneur Podcast Network.https://t.co/28Hjdm76Df pic.twitter.com/rSdr4K6a7K

— Leon Isaac Kennedy (@IamLeonIKennedy) January 28, 2019

By 2019, Leon was spreading his entrepreneurial knowledge with the world, in his then-new podcast show, The Leon Isaac Kennedy Show, on the ‘Every Black Entrepreneur Podcast Network.’ On his show, he interviewed successful business people – who have built their own brands from the ground up – while enlightening his listeners on what it takes to become successful in the game. You can check out episodes of Kennedy’s podcast HERE and HERE.

It’s unclear if he’s still pushin’ forward with his podcast ventures today. Anywho, it’s always beautiful thing to see our favorite Old School legends still doing what they love after decades in the game.

By the way, in case you’re wondering [after all the controversy their prior marriage endured back in the day] Leon and Jayne Kennedy have moved on with their separate lives, and are still cool to this day. Jayne is happily married and Leon is also cool with her husband. All’s well, that ends well.

It’s been a few weeks since Tyrese announced he was officially single, after breaking up with his girlfriend/Instagram model, Zelie Timothy. Fast forward to today…and Zelie clearly wants her man back and has just pulled no stops at getting Tyrese to hopefully get that memo loud and clear.

In case y’all hadn’t heard, Tyrese (43) has been dating Zelie for quite some time, following his split from his now-ex-wife, Samantha. Although Zelie — who’s approximately 27 years old —  is younger than Tyrese, the two lovebirds became a fan-favorite couple because they genuinely seem like they’re in love and compliment each other personality-wise. An additional plus for Tyrese’s fans — whom are majority Black women — is that they were happy to finally see him with a fully Black woman, but that’s a topic for another day. Moving on…

The Apology Message From Tyrese’s Ex

Now, back to Zelie’s public apology to her ex. In a lengthy, emotional online post, Zelie shared an affectionate video of her and Tyrese during happier times. Here’s what her message reads:

“@Tyrese When we first got together, we promised each other that we would let nothing get in the way of our love. Not ex’s or social media. Yet, WE’VE been getting in the way of our love. I will not get into anything about what you’ve done and said. I can only speak for myself. The things I’ve done have made you so sad you chose to break that promise. Whether I’m right or wrong, I’m sorry.”

 

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A post shared by Zelie Timothy (@zelietimothy)

But wait…there’s more. Zelie continued:

All I have ever wanted for us was to be happy. Going through your divorce, your mother’s passing, your sister, and now your father with you has been hell, and being your way of escape has been beautiful but There were times that I let my stubbornness get in the way of what we were building. Times where I’ve done things and said things you didn’t like. With you being my first serious relationship, I thought it would be easy to move on. Yet, with you not being with me, I have realized that the absence of my person is even worse than that. After all this, you’ve made me know that hell is just earth without you. I’ve loved you with everything I have since the day we met. I hope going to these therapy sessions will help us both learn about each other deeper. I want you to know how much I miss you and what you mean to me. I love you.

The Backstory To Their Break-Up

Earlier this month (July 2022), Tyrese went on a somewhat odd rant online, as he announced his desires to be married for the ‘rest of his life’, as well as what appear to be some of the issues he and Zelie were having.

“I just follow the sexiest people on Instagram and get in trouble for ‘Liking’ their post,” he wrote.

Apparently, Tyrese was ready to marry Zelie, but she was not trying to here that (man, what a difference a few weeks makes, though).

He also alluded that Zelie was a “snake” of some sort, writing, “Stop trying to convince me that your daughter is not a SNAKE. I just want to be released from this strong devilish allure the sexual seduction of a masterful manipulator…… Please God RELEASE ME – RELEASE ME FROM YOUR POISON RELEASE FROM YIUR STRONG HOLD RELEASE ME I BELONG TO THE KINGDOM……. I have SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO.

Tyrese then suggested that Zelie got what she presumably wanted outta their relationship — a verified Instagram account and popularity, after gaining far more followers while dating Tyrese — but he did not, which is to marry her and live happily ever after:

“I’m single now and I want everyone to DM have fun with @zelietimothy she’s verified now and wasn’t ready to be married she still wanted to go BIG Zane live her best life…… I wanted to get married and settle down and really really NEST and embrace the COMFORTS of this FAMILY AND MARRIED LIFE………I smoke hookah at home everyday and don’t want to be in your clubs or around your women I want to stay home and be the hard working family man that I am.”

At that time, Zelie took to her own social media page to indirectly address Tyrese:
“[You’re] acting off emotions and NOT facts!,” Zelie wrote. “Hurt people hurt people and I’m the wrong one to hurt!”

Sounds like Tyrese is at the age where he’s ready to be chill and enjoy life with a woman he can call his queen. Whereas Zelie is possibly still at the age where she wants to do what 20-something-year-olds naturally want to do – partying, trying to find themselves and build their careers, etc..

Not sure if Tyrese is going to respond to Zelie’s public apology, but given their seemingly beautiful prior relationship, we’re rooting for them to kiss and make-up…as are most of their followers online. Hopefully they can find a common ground.

Most of us remember the beautiful, Free Marie, from the music video show, “106th & Park,” right? I know I sure do…she was the only reason I even knew what “106th and Park” was in the early 2000’s. Free and her “106th” co-host, A.J. Calloway, brought a new down to earth edge to BET during that time, with their relatable personalities and flava. Then all of sudden, Free just up and quit and left many of her fans wondering where she’d disappeared to.

Anywho, that was then…this is now, and Free is still around doing her thing. She’s gone from hosting a TV show, to radio, to hosting many events, and lending her celeb’ status to various causes that empower the likes women, imprisoned minority men, healthcare issues such as breast cancer awareness, voting rights and more.

In the midst of Free doing her thing, she once took a second to drop a bombshell of a revelation on her fans, which flew right under the radar a while back…but we caught it. She disclosed that she has a very famous female cousin whom we all know…at least if we’re true Old School movie/TV show lovers, we do. Her talented cuz’ started in the ‘80s era and has continued to make a name for herself in film and television to this day. See who she is below…

WHO IS FREE’S FAMOUS CUZ’?

Bam!!! Free’s cousin is none other than former “Soul Food” (T.V. show) actress, Vanessa A. Williams…or as many of us were first introduced to her, ‘Ms. Rockabye baby!’ from the classic film, “New Jack City!” Who woulda thought it, right?!!

Free and Vanessa both confirmed this after Free posted the below message on Instagram about her cousin:

@missfreemarie: “Congratulations to my cuz @nessawilliams1 the newest cast member of #daysofourlives on @nbcdays @nbctv !!!! Catch that #blackgirlmagic ⚡️ #itworks #family #vanessawilliams #wait are u gonna do love scenes ? Im telling Aunt Carolyn LOVE YOU #Keisha #rockabyebaby”

And then she later had a brief convo’ with Vanessa in the comments section underneath her post…

Needless to say, fans were surprised and one even mentioned the obvious- that Free, now 54 years old;  and Vanessa, now 59, are both aging beautifully- a compliment that didn’t go unnoticed by Free. She thanked the commenter and attributed their ageless beauty to the strong genes in their fam’…

By the way, in case you didn’t catch that caption Free included in her IG post about her cousin (which has since been deleted), Vanessa’s latest gig is on the long running soap opera, “Days of Our Lives.” It’s always a beautiful thing to see an entertainer from back in the day, still being able to feed their fam,’ by doing what they love. Free and Vanessa keep doing what you do…we love it!