The cast of Family Matter will be remembered for a long time. Many people love the show because it is funny and has heart, but some love it even more because of all the drama that goes on behind the scenes. From the show focusing on Jaleel White to Matriach Harriet Winslow being played by someone else, a lot has changed. One sad thing that happened on the show was the death of star Michelle Thomas. After sitting down with E!’s Hollywood Medium, White was able to come to terms with her loss.
Michelle Thomas was a lovely young actor who was on her way to becoming famous. Dennis Thomas, who played the saxophone and was one of the first people to join Kool & The Gang, was her father. She started out in the 1980s by entering beauty pageants. Her first TV show was Soul Train. Then she got a part on the Cosby Show as Justine Phillips, Theo Huxtable’s girlfriend. She was also in a number of music videos and smaller projects before her most well-known part, as Myra Monkhouse on Family Matter, which she played until her death.
From 1993 to 1998, Thomas was Steve Urkle’s girlfriend on TV. She also had a part-time job as a host on Soul Train at that time. She also played a role on the show The Young and the Restless, and she was making songs before her health got worse. Thomas had something called “an intra-abdominal desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor. This is a rare type of cancer”. She had surgery to try to stop the cancer from spreading, but the cancer was too strong. She died when she was 30 years old, and she is buried in New Jersey. Malcolm Jamal Warner was with her in the hospital because they were close friends and had dated for a short time.
Since they were lovers on Family Matter, it makes sense that Jaleel White and Thomas knew each other. White sat down with Tyler Henry on a recent show of The Hollywood Medium to talk about an old agent he had, but Michelle Thomas came through loud and clear. He asked White if he knew anyone who was born in September or who died at the “peak” of their lives. “The feeling is a reminder that I’m going to die too soon.” White says, “Is that Michelle?” in a whisper. Tyler then said that the person had a birthday in late September, and they confirmed that Michelle’s birthday was on September 23.
Tyler went on to say that this person was a woman and not a part of his family. White says in a confessional that he could have brought up Michelle’s name sooner, but he didn’t want to confirm Tyler’s story until he knew it was true. White says he didn’t want his feelings to be used against him and doesn’t like being weak. Then they cut to Tyler talking about how this person feels “distanced.” “I didn’t get to say what I wanted to say to solidify the relationship,” he says, and White cuts him off, saying, “There was no goodbye.”
Tyler says the person talked about people in the music business and the letters E, L, L, and E. White then laughs and says, “You’re messing with me, dog.” White started to cry and stated that all of the information was true and related to Michelle Thomas. White says in the confessional, “This guy is the truth,” and then confirms that he and Michelle had a strong bond and felt like they never got to say goodbye. White says, “She would have been one of my best friends for a long time.” He was too young to call it love, but he knew he cared deeply about her.