Coronji Calhoun Sr., the former child actor who played the on-screen son of Halle Berry in the iconic 2001 film Monster’s Ball, has sadly died at the too-young age of 30.
Speaking with WWL-TV, his mother Theresa Bailey said he passed away on October 13 from congestive heart failure and problems with his lungs. In a GoFundMe created “to give Coronji a sacred celebration of life,” the mom said that the family “did not have any life insurance policy” for the star and has asked for donations to cover the funeral costs “as we never expected this tragedy to befall us.”
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Although he died last month, his family only just finished raising the money for his service after Berry and the movie’s producer Lee Daniels split the difference of the remaining balance and donated $3,394 each this week. After reaching the $10,000 goal, Theresa expressed her thanks for all of the contributions, saying:
“On behalf of the Calhoun and Bailey family, I would like to thank each and every individual who found it in their hearts to extend the much needed financial support to lay Coronji Sr. to rest. We are blown away by the outpouring of love the community and Coronji’s adopted family has shown during our process of grief. While the financial burden has been lifted, we still mourn the loss of my son. As we close this chapter, we ask that in your remembrance of him, you remember to love your neighbor as yourself, because that is what Coronji did for his entire community.”
Calhoun auditioned for the role of Tyrell Musgrove in Monster’s Ball at 10 years old after an open casting call in Louisiana, the SF Gate reported. As you may know, the film follows Leticia, who falls in love with the prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton) responsible for the execution of her death row inmate husband (Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs). Her performance made history, as Berry became the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
In 2002, the 55-year-old actress reflected to SF Gate on how difficult it was for her to act abusive and criticize Calhoun’s character’s weight in the movie. She said at the time:
“It was a lot harder than even the love scene because Coronji was really 10 [years old] and obese. I worried that I would somehow damage him emotionally, not just in doing the scene, but down the road. So I talked to him a lot and hugged and kissed him a lot. He said, ‘You don’t have to worry about what you say; it can’t be as bad as how they treat me at school.’ But I hear now he’s the most popular kid in his school. So I guess (the movie) helped.”
Calhoun reportedly never had another acting credit since. He’s survived by his mom, 10-year-old son, and 13-year-old stepson.
So sad…
Sending our love to the family during this difficult time.
[Image via Movieclips/YouTube]
The post Halle Berry’s <i>Monster’s Ball</i> Co-Star Coronji Calhoun Sr. Dead At 30 appeared first on Perez Hilton.
