Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Erica Ash, Comedian and 'Real Husbands of Hollywood' and 'Mad TV' Star, Dies at 46
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 11 months ago on
July 30, 2024

Erica Ash, an actor and comedian skilled in sketch comedy who starred in the parody series “Mad TV” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” died Sunday in Los Angeles due to cancer at 46. (AP/Richard Shotwell/Invision)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LOS ANGELES — Erica Ash, an actor and comedian skilled in sketch comedy who starred in the parody series “Mad TV” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” has died. She was 46.

Ash died Sunday in Los Angeles because of cancer, according to her publicist and a statement by her mother, Diann. “Erica was an amazing woman and talented entertainer who touched countless lives with her sharp wit, humor, and genuine zest for life. Her memory will live eternally in our hearts,” the statement said.

Impersonating Michelle Obama and Condoleezza Rice on “Mad TV”

Ash impersonated Michelle Obama and Condoleezza Rice on “Mad TV,” a Fox sketch series, and was a key performer on the Rosie O’Donnell-created series “The Big Gay Sketch Show.” Her other credits included “Scary Movie V,” “Uncle Drew” and the LeBron James-produced basketball dramedy “Survivor’s Remorse.”

On the BET series “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” Ash played the ex-wife of Kevin Hart’s character. Ash told the Los Angeles Times in 2017 that for awhile, the only roles she was offered were similar to that character, but she wanted to have a more varied career.

“I want to make choices based on what I want to read about myself when I’m older. For me, it’s just about growing and moving forward,” she told the Times.

From Broadway to “The Lion King” Touring Production

She appeared in the Broadway production “Baby It’s You” and a touring production of “The Lion King.”

Ash attended Emory University to study medicine but took a break and went to Japan, where she performed and modeled and her career flourished.

“One thing led to another, so I tell people I’m the Forrest Gump of my field. I just blindly, by faith, walked through life and said ‘yes’ to things that were presented to me, and it led me here,” Ash told the Times.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

DON'T MISS

Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians

DON'T MISS

West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

DON'T MISS

St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert

DON'T MISS

US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country

DON'T MISS

CIA Says Intelligence Indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program Severely Damaged

DON'T MISS

Upscale Woodward Park Area Apartments Sell for $19 Million

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Learn the Latest on the Caleb Quick Murder Hearings

UP NEXT

Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians

UP NEXT

West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County

UP NEXT

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

UP NEXT

St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert

UP NEXT

US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say

UP NEXT

Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country

UP NEXT

CIA Says Intelligence Indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program Severely Damaged

UP NEXT

Upscale Woodward Park Area Apartments Sell for $19 Million

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday: Learn the Latest on the Caleb Quick Murder Hearings

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Orders CA to Strip Trans Athlete of Medals

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

13 hours ago

St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert

13 hours ago

US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say

14 hours ago

Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country

14 hours ago

CIA Says Intelligence Indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program Severely Damaged

15 hours ago

Upscale Woodward Park Area Apartments Sell for $19 Million

16 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Learn the Latest on the Caleb Quick Murder Hearings

16 hours ago

Trump Administration Orders CA to Strip Trans Athlete of Medals

16 hours ago

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Reboot Fast-Tracked to 2027

16 hours ago

Democratic Lawmaker Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting US Agents at Immigration Center

17 hours ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The Trump administration’s plan to repeal a rule prohibiti...

12 hours ago

Tahoe National Forest
12 hours ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

Palestinians gather to receive aid supplies in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
13 hours ago

Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians

West Nile virus mosquito
13 hours ago

West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County

President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

13 hours ago

St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert

A U.S. Border Patrol vehicle patrols along the border wall, following the establishment of a 260-mile military zone along the southern U.S. border in New Mexico and Texas as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, in Sunland Park, New Mexico, U.S., May 20, 2025. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country

CIA Director John Ratcliffe speaks during an interview at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

CIA Says Intelligence Indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program Severely Damaged

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend