Actress Keisha Nash, Forest Whitaker's Ex-Wife, Dead at 51

Actor and producer Keisha Nash, who was also married to Forest Whitaker for over 20 years before their 2018 divorce, has died, her daughter confirmed.

By Hayley Santaflorentina Dec 08, 2023 1:35 PMTags
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Hollywood is mourning the loss of a star gone too soon. 

Keisha Nash, the ex-wife of Forest Whitaker, has died at the age of 51. A cause of death has not been revealed at this time. 

Her and Forest's daughter True Whitaker confirmed her passing in an Instagram Story Dec. 7. 

"Goodbye mommy. I love you 4ever and beyond," the 25-year-old wrote, per People, on top of a black-and-white photo of her mother. "The most beautiful woman in the world... thank you for teaching me every single thing I know. I'll see you in my dreams and I'll feel you in my heart."

True also shared also shared an additional picture of her mother with "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway playing in the background. 

Keisha and Forest were married for 22 years before their divorce in 2018. They also shared daughter Sonnet, 27, as well as daughter Autumn, 32, and son Ocean, 33, who are Keisha's daughter and Forest's son from previous relationships. The two met on the set of the 1994 film Blown Away, in which Keisha was cast as the girlfriend of Forest's character. 

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During her career, Keisha also produced the 2008 film Kassim the Dream and acted in 2007's Proud.

A native of Lynn, Ma., Keisha was a graduate of Lynn High School, per Northshore Magazine. In 2008, she returned to her hometown alma mater to visit with the group Girls Inc. and to launch her makeup brand Kissable Couture at a local boutique, at which time she spoke with the outlet on her life in Hollywood. 

"I have fun with it and I haven't forgotten where I come from," she told the magazine, jokingly adding, "Sometimes someone at a party will make a big deal like `I went to school in France' and I think, `Whatever! I'm here sipping the same champagne as you!'"

Jerod Harris / Contributor (Getty Images)

At the time, she also spoke at the time to family life with Forest.

"He opens his eyes every day with a smile," she said of Forest as a dad. "If he's got just a three-day break from filming, he'll fly home even if it's just for a day and a half."

For his part, Forest—who has not publicly addressed Keisha's passing at this time—has also previously spoken about the then-couple's at-home dynamic. 

"I'm not a tough love guy," he told Parade in 2009 of parenthood. "To be honest, my wife is much stronger with the kids than I am. They come to me when they're trying to slip something by. I have to always take a pause, when they come and say, 'Hey Dad, is it OK if we do this?' So I just look at them like, 'Have you talked to your mom about that?' They know I'm the easy one."

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