Samuel Monroe Jr., an actor and rapper best known for roles in "Menace II Society" and "The Players Club," died Wednesday at age 52, according to a Facebook
post from his wife, Shawna Stewart.
Monroe died Aug. 26 at Providence Saint Joseph Burbank Hospital in California. He had been hospitalized for meningitis.
In her tribute, Stewart described her husband as "so much more than the talented actor, Rapper the world knew and loved," writing that he brought "laughter, strength, kindness, and love into the lives of so many people.”
She said Monroe endured nine months after the hospital misdiagnosed his condition, calling his resilience during that time "unheard of.” Stewart said he is survived by their children, Kingston Milliano and Brooklynn Monroe, his mother, Joyce Patton, and his siblings. She closed her message by writing, "I love you. I will always love you," and added that she hoped Monroe would find a way to "beat on a wall to make new music in heaven.”
Patton also confirmed her son's death in a separate Facebook
post Wednesday, thanking her "Facebook family and friends" for their prayers and asking the community to continue praying for the family, "especially his 3 children.” Hours earlier that same day, Patton had posted that Monroe was undergoing a procedure and asked for urgent prayers, writing, "Not looking good, please pray.”
The days leading up to Monroe's death saw a severe medical decline, Stewart said in a Facebook
post in July. Stewart wrote that Monroe underwent his third brain surgery a month earlier and had since lost the ability to move any part of his body beyond his eyes. She said he began having seizures that escalated to 22 episodes in a single hour despite being on four anti-seizure medications, and that he was returned to intensive care after a CT scan showed his brain ventricles had enlarged and cerebrospinal fluid was leaking into brain tissue.
A
GoFundMe campaign titled "Support for Samuel Monroe Jr. & Family" described Monroe's nine-month battle with meningitis and the toll it took on his family, who traveled between multiple hospitals and two rehabilitation centers. The campaign, managed by Tayonna Stewart, Shawna Stewart's daughter and Monroe's stepdaughter, said the family hoped to move Monroe to a private facility or care for him at home with a hired nurse, and stated any funds raised would go toward a celebration of life if he did not survive. As of Friday morning, the fundraiser had collected more than $9,000 of its $10,000 goal.
Monroe's career began with a role in Patti LaBelle's television series "Out All Night" before he broke through on the big screen in 1993's "Menace II Society," according to his
IMDb biography. He went on to appear in "Set It Off," "Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood" and "The Players Club," and later took on directing and producing work, including his television series "The Halls.” He also pursued music after signing with Jive Records. Monroe most recently appeared in Adult Swim's "Black Jesus" in 2019.
