Actor Dearon “Deezer D” Thompson, best known for his role as Nurse Malik McGrath on the iconic NBC medical drama ER, has died. He was 55.
Thompson’s brother, Emmery, confirmed the death in an Instagram post on Friday. Along with several pictures, he wrote, “My Big Brother! God is with you. I will miss you. #deezerd.”
No additional information about his death was immediately available. A rep could not be reached. According to one report, his brother said Thompson was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, and family suspects he may have suffered a heart attack, but that is not official from the medical examiner.
Thompson had a long list of credits on his résumé, including the films Bringing Down the House, CB4, as well as the 1997 film Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion alongside Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino.
In 2009, Thompson revealed he was undergoing heart surgery after suffering “over 10 episodes of heart failure in the last eight months alone.”
Wow. While one or two episodes can have catastrophic effects on not only the body, but brain function, Thompson had a total of ten!
But Thompson is not alone. According to a new study, about 1 in 100 black men and women could develop heart failure before age 50—a strikingly higher rate than for white people.
The African American community as a whole is at a much higher risk for heart failure (HF) in part because high blood pressure (BP) and diabetes are more common in African Americans than in other ethnic groups.
Both of these conditions affect the way your