TV host Wendy Williams confirmed her mother Shirley Williams’s death on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. According to the TV host, her mother died a few weeks ago.
She has fully displayed a fondness for her mother throughout the 12 years she’s hosted “The Wendy Williams Show.” Her mother and father — Thomas Williams Sr. — were frequent special guests on the show.
About Her Mother
Her mother was a retired New Jersey school teacher. According to a 1988 article in Ashbury Park Press, she had worked as a special education teacher at the Bradley School. The school is located in Ashbury Park, New Jersey.
She worked closely with the Central Jersey chapter of the National Association of Negro Business, Professional Women’s Clubs, and the Monmouth County Council of Girl Scouts. The respected community leader won the Now Black Woman award in 1988.
A national group of Black women who supports educational opportunities for youth called The Drifters awarded her the honor. She first appeared on show in 2008. In 2010 she shared the birth of the talk show host’s 1964 birth.
She shared that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer at the time of her daughter’s birth.
But then a ray of sunshine came into our lives. Wendy was born in July.
A few months after the talk show host was born her grandmother passed away. The host was named after her grandmother. Williams shared how her mother had to tend to her newborn needs and visiting her dying grandmother.
So while one life was lost, one life was gained.
More About the Talk Show Host
People will be able to see more about her life in the “Wendy Williams: The Movie.” The movie is scheduled to air on Jan. 30, 2021. It will air on Lifetime and will show how she struggled with drug addiction, her marriage to Kevin Hunter, and her rise as a radio host.
Williams’s mother is survived by her father, sister Wanda, and brother Thomas Jr. May she rest in peace.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Advance Local: Wendy Williams’ mother, N.J. teacher Shirley Williams, has died by Amy Kuperinsky
Yahoo!: Wendy Williams confirms death of her mother, Shirley Williams: ‘She passed peacefully’ by Gerren Keith Gaynor
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