A week following the sudden death of Tommy Ford, 52, his “Martin” family reunited to remember the life of their “brother” and fellow cast-member.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Carl Anthony Payne, and Tichina Arnold were all in attendance at Ford’s funeral in Atlanta.
Later on, Campbell, Payne, and Arnold, who played Gina, Cole, and Pam, respectively, posed for a photo that Arnold shared via Instagram. “Today wasn’t easy,” Payne captioned a pic alongside Arnold and Martin. “We laid our brother to rest. However, through God’s grace and the love, support, and prayers of friends, family and loved ones all is well.”
Payne closed out the post, by noting that the day was one of celebration, honoring “the man who brought so much joy and laughter to our lives.”
Arnold echoed Payne’s sentiment, by reposting his photo, along with an emotional message of her own. “Words cannot express our gratitude for all of your Prayers, Positive thoughts and Support for us throughout the years. Tommy will be missed but most certainly never forgotten,” she wrote.
She also clarified that Martin Lawrence (though not pictured) was in attendance as well. “And PLEASE don’t ask ‘Where’s Martin?..’ he was there too … just not in this picture. Lol! God bless you all.. #LoveConquersAll#MartinShow”
As previously reported, Ford was placed on life support on Oct. 9, after suffering a ruptured aneurysm in his abdomen. The actor died at an Atlanta hospital on Oct. 12.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the untimely passing of our beloved son, father, brother, husband, and friend Tommy Mykal Ford,” Ford’s rep said in a statement to ET at the time. “On behalf of the family, we would like to thank everyone for their love, support and prayers. Funeral arrangements will be forthcoming. Please respect the privacy of the Ford family during our time of grief.”
Last week, Lawrence remembered Ford in a heartfelt post via social media, calling Ford his “brother” and giving thanks for their ability “to show true friendship on-screen.”
“Tommy was not only a great costar but he was a great man and friend. He always brought with him his spirituality a positive attitude and so much joy. I am sad the world lost a great talent and that I lost a wonderful friend. God bless him and his family,” Lawrence wrote via Instagram.
