"Remembering Michelle Thomas" a Family Matters Reunion

[dragonflies]

Awww I can't wait to see this in it's entirety

 

 

[All My Shadows]

Wow, that is so sweet and poignant. I remember how big it was when she passed away at such a young age.

[sivad40]

I don't know why I thought she passed away in the early 2000s instead of 1998. I watched  my share of Family Matters and the TGIF shows when they aired. 

[ReddFoxx]

It's good that she is being remembered, because she as quite talented and passed way far too young. One of the best things about TV One is that they often highlight people in the industry that would otherwise go forgotten.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I remember there was an independent film (can't remember the name at the moment) that Thomas had appeared in, I read that it was her last appearance onscreen. The film debuted in 1999 and in the closing credits, there was a dedication to her.  Another role I will always remember her in was as Justine on the Cosby show. Weren't she and Malcolm-Jamal Warner once engaged?

 

 

 

Speaking of Family Matters, I wonder whether Bryton James (Bryton McClure back then) has seen this clip floating around Twitter?  This wouldn't be in my Top 5 (or 10) but this is pretty cute.

 

 

[Khan]

IIRC, wasn't Michelle Thomas working at Y&R when she died?  Or had she left the show already?

[DramatistDreamer]

 

According to her bio, she took a medical leave from Y&R.  I'm not sure whether episodes with her in them were still airing when she died. For some reason though, I think there might have been some dedication, the kind they do for deceased actors in the closing title card. 

 

The indie film that she appeared in Unbowed (had to look it up, honestly, because I couldn't remember the title) is considered her last onscreen appearance because it debuted in 1999, almost a year after she passed away.  The film was dedicated to her memory.

According to IMDB, she was actually filming scenes for Family Matters when her health got so bad she had to leave shortly before the show was canceled. 

It was sad reading her bio, it brings to mind, in graphic detail all the pain and suffering she must've gone through. 

[Dion]

@DramatistDreamer @Khan

 

From memory, as part of the dedication they replayed one of her singing scenes at the end of an episode - further research suggests this episode aired in the US on January 18, 1999 (Originally scheduled for the 15th but pre-empted due to coverage of President Clinton's impeachment trial).

 

Michelle Thomas had taken medical leave and the temporary recast - Siena Goines apparently began airing on Dec 22, 1998, coincidentally the day before Michelle Thomas passed. Siena Goines was made permanent and played the role for another year or so.

 

This page has some more information about the circumstances, including some controversy about the delay in showing a dedication for Michelle Thomas (basically Y&R was on a production break for Christmas/New Year when news of her passing came out, so it was several weeks before they could acknowledge her passing as they needed to find a suitable episode running short that they could fit the dedication segment in).

 

http://michellethomas.faithweb.com/

 

[All My Shadows]

First of all, I forgot web rings were a thing.

Second, I will never ever ever understand why fans get bent out of shape over things like that. Regardless of how big of a fan you are, these are people who worked with and interacted with the person on a daily basis. It was tacky as hell for Ms. Jennifer to send these people a letter asking them why they didn't air a tribute yet and then, after being told why it was delayed, suggesting that they STILL should've had it earlier.