Charlie Murphy, comedian and older brother of Eddie, has died in a New York City hospital at the age of 57 after a battle with leukemia.
According to Murphy’s manager, he’d been undergoing chemo, but family members thought he’d been getting better; he kept his sense of humor, even joked with them when they visited. Today’s sad news comes eight years after he lost his wife, Tisha, to cervical cancer.
Murphy was born in Brooklyn in 1959 (he’s a year older than Eddie), and served six years in the Navy before heading to Hollywood. In addition to his stand-up routines, he appeared in nearly 30 films, guest starred on the small screen and co-wrote screenplays for two of his brother’s movies, “Vampire In Brooklyn” and “Norbit.”
He appeared in “Are We There Yet?” and did voice-over work on “The Boondocks” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but is probably best remembered for his performances on “The Chappelle Show,” when he told “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” about encounters with various celebrities, including Rick James and Prince.
Murphy recently toured with Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, George Lopez and D.L. Hughley on “The Comedy Get Down,” and was scheduled to appear in the upcoming season of “Power” on Starz.
Charlie Murphy Dies of Leukemia
