Originally appeared on E! Online
It's a sad day in the comedy world.
Erica Ash, the comedian who starred on "Mad TV," and "Survivor's Remorse," died on July 28 after a long battle with cancer, her publicist told The Hollywood Reporter. She was 46.
“Erica was an amazing woman and talented entertainer who touched countless lives with her sharp wit, humor and genuine zest for life,” her family shared in a statement. “Her memory will live eternally in our hearts.”
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Ash's mom Diann Ash added in a statement to TMZ that the actress "transitioned peacefully surrounded by her loved ones."
Though "Mad TV," initially had plans to become a doctor and studied medicine at Emory University, she made a career change after realizing her passion for performance.
"Subconsciously, I think I knew all along," she previously told the alumni association's Emory Wire. "My parents had other plans for me: like most parents they just wanted to see me successful and happy. In their minds it meant being a doctor or lawyer: enter Emory University."
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She continued, "But even though I was smart and could do the work easily when I put my mind to it; the trouble was keeping my mind focused on it. I always felt there was a different path that would make me happier."
That path eventually led her to New York, where she performed in Broadway's "The Lion King" and "Baby It's You!," as well as Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron's Off-Broadway play "Love, Loss, and What I Wore."
From there, she found her footing in comedy, starring in "The Big Gay Sketch Show" and "Mad TV" before landing roles in "Real Husbands of Hollywood" and "Survivor's Remorse."
On film, Ash's credits included 2013's "Scary Movie 5," 2016's "Jean of the Joneses" and 2021's "Violet."
She also ran the advice blog The Deviled Angel.
"I have relied on my spirit in relationships, friendships, family, health, personal and career issues big and small and it is the one thing that has never let me down," she told Emory Wire. "I am so grateful to have found my spirit and am still discovering the magnificent boundless power of it: just when I think I’ve got my spirit all figured out I discover a new abysmal depth of it. My spirit is kind of amazing!"
In the wake of Ash's passing, her longtime friend Loni Love paid tribute.
"Erica was talented and hilarious whether it was the show "Survivor’s Remorse" or "Mad TV" she would put her all into her work," the comedian wrote on Instagram July 29. "She would always just be there.. now she’s gone."
