Forest Whitaker’s ex-wife Keisha Nash Whitaker has died at age 51, after a long battle with anorexia. She leaves behind four children.
The actor married Nash Whitaker in 1996 before they divorced in 2021. Their daughter True confirmed the news of her mom’s death on her Instagram account on Dec. 7.
True Whitaker called her mother the “most beautiful woman in the world” but did not elaborate on the cause of death.
“Goodbye mommy. I love you 4ever and beyond.” True Whitaker said in the post. “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.”
A source told DailyMail.com that Keisha died earlier this week after being in and out of hospital for the past few months with intestinal problems in the wake of her yearslong battle with anorexia.
“Keisha battled anorexia for years,” the insider added. “Forest stayed by her side during those difficult times, but the following year he filed for divorce in 2015.”
“They remained friends and their divorce was amicable,” The DailyMail.com’s source added about the split. “But because Forest said his wife was, ‘kind, funny bright and outgoing’ — as well as a good mother to their children — there was no need to not remain friendly.”
Nash Whitaker sparked worries in 2014 after she was seen looking ultra-slim at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards with her then-husband, RadarOnline.com reported. She could have lost around 35 pounds over the last few years.
As well as her work as a model and actress, Nash Whitaker was an entrepreneur with a children’s clothing line and a cosmetics line called Kissable Couture.
Along with True, Forest Whitaker and Nash Whitaker had another daughter, Sonnet. Nash Whitaker also has a daughter, Autumn, from a previous relationship. Forest Whitaker has a son, Ocean, from a previous relationship.
The couple met in 1994 on the set of the film Blown Away. Nash Whitaker told Ebony about her Oscar-winning husband, “I had seen him in A Rage in Harlem. Right away, I thought Forest had a gentle soul and a nice spirit.”
