Just one day after NeNe Leakes seemed to suggest that her husband was near death, the Leakes family has confirmed the sad news of Gregg Leakes dead. Gregg’s official cause of death appears to be a sudden return of the colon cancer he’d been fighting for almost four years.
NeNe revealed Gregg’s fragile condition to a group of visitors at her Atlanta lounge, who’d allegedly called her out for not wishing one of their party members a happy birthday. NeNe told the gathering that she was at work only out of habit, and that her mind was back home with Gregg, who was “transitioning to the other side.”
Gregg Leakes was first diagnosed with colon cancer in May of 2018. At the time, he’d been hospitalized for over two weeks with a mystery ailment. It turned out to be advanced (Stage 3) cancer — but doctors were able to remove the cancerous tissue.
Although Gregg initially said he didn’t want to undergo chemotherapy, he later relented, and completed a full six-month treatment. NeNe celebrated the end of Gregg’s “long emotional ride” while Gregg banged a gong and hospital staff cheered him on.
Indeed, it was a trying time for both NeNe and Gregg. At one point, she even took to Twitter to vent about how “mean, grouchy, and evil” Gregg could be while suffering through the treatments. In response, Gregg offered an apology by praising his wife, saying “This woman right here has put a mountain on her back and carried it with grace. She’s given so much of herself. You Nene, steps up to the plate, bats and knock it out the park every time.”
Gregg and NeNe’s publicist Ernest Dukes, who is also a family friend, confirmed Gregg’s passing. “Today the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart,” Ernest said in a statement. “After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by all of his children, very close loved ones and wife Nene Leakes. We ask that you pray for peace and strength over their family & allow them to mourn in private during this very very difficult time.”
(People was the first to report the news.)
NeNe hasn’t made a public statement of any kind since three days ago, when she posted “Broken” along with a photo of a broken heart and a pair of clasped hands.
But after hearing the news of Gregg Leakes’ passing, several of NeNe and Gregg’s RHOA castmates offered their own condolences. The longest came from Cynthia Bailey, who shared a photo of NeNe and Gregg with herself and her then-fiancé Mike Hill.
Describing the scene at an impromptu birthday party for Mike, Cynthia went into great detail about Gregg’s unexpected kindness and love:
Out of nowhere, Gregg asked to pray for Mike and I. For our love & our relationship. He was first person to actually pray for us as a couple. It was so heartfelt and so beautiful. We were all so touched and blown away by his words. I think Mike & I both teared up. There was sincerely a ministry inside of him. He truly blessed us that night & we will never forget it. That was one of the many things that Gregg did to bless my life.
Kandi Burruss also shared a double date photo:
Gregg, Kandi wrote, was “an amazing man who always brought love & great energy to any room he walked into. I’m thankful for the great memories I have of him. Rest in peace Gregg ❤️🙏🏾.”
In addition, Porsha Williams called the news “Truly heartbreaking” and offered Love and prayers for dear Nene & the Leakes family,” adding the hashtag #FuckCancer.
And Eva Marcille said she’s “Sending love and strength to Nene and the entire Leake’s family. Gregg was an amazingly extraordinary man. Broken hearted 💔🕊.”
(Photo credit: Instagram)
John Sharp is Starcasm’s chief editorial correspondent-at-large. Tips: E-mail or Twitter.
