It's always sad to hear about a cast of favorite actors who have died, but at least the list of best sitcoms of the 1990s, Family Matters is a spinoff of the notably less popular Perfect Strangers​​​, focusing on the Winslow family. The African-American middle-class family lives in Chicago, Illinois, and is headed by the family patriarch, Carl Otis Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson), a police officer with the Chicago Police Department, and a kind but often irritated man.

He's ed by the cast of family and friends, including one Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), who was list of departed Little House on the Prairie cast , there are still some notable names on it, a few of them tragic in how young they were when they ed.

Sherman Hemsley As Captain Marion Savage

Date Of Birth: February 1, 1938

• Active Since: 1973

Actor: Sherman Hemsley was a prolific television actor who is best known for his debut performance as George Jefferson in All in the Family. This role led to him starring in his own spinoff, The Jeffersons, which earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award nomination. His other notable roles include B.P. Richfield in Dinosaurs, Deacon Ernest Frye in Amen, and Judge Carl Robertson in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Hemsley ed away on July 24, 2012, at the age of 74, due to complications arising from lung cancer.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Sherman Hemsley plays Captain Marion Savage in season 6 of Family Matters. Marion is Carl's other boss on the force, and he's a loudmouth who is somehow more obnoxious than any other police captain who has come before him. Marion's wife is an exotic dancer, but he doesn't like it when people bring it up, particularly when that person is Carl. Urkel, as it turns out, happens to belong to the same cheese-tasting club as Marion.

Michelle Thomas As Myra Monkhouse

Date Of Birth: September 23, 1968

• Active Since: 1988

Actor: Michelle Thomas got her professional start in 1988, appearing as Justin Phillips in The Cosby Show for eight episodes. She continued working prolifically throughout the '90s, appearing in Thea, Duckman, and Malcolm & Eddie in small roles. Her other notable TV role came in The Young and the Restless as Callie Rogers. Her 1999 film Unbowed, where she plays Anna, was released posthumously. Sadly, Thomas ed away on December 23, 1998, at the age of 30, from a rare form of stomach cancer, intra-abdominal desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (via Jet).

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Character: Michelle Thomas played Myra Monkhouse on Family Matters, who first appeared in season 4 as a recurring character, but was moved into the main cast in season 6 and on. Perky and persistent, Myra becomes attracted to Urkel, as she's always been attracted to nerdy guys. For a time, Urkel kept her at arm's length, which only made her cling to him more, but by season 6, the pair were going steady, and Myra began to relax. Sadly, Thomas' cancer diagnosis limited her screentime for the final season of the show.

Barry Jenner As Lieutenant Lou Murtaugh

Date Of Birth: January 14, 1941

• Active Since: 1974

Actor: Barry Jenner was a prolific television actor who had a few movie titles to his name, including Popcorn as Lt. Bradley and The Boost as Billy. It's television where he really made his mark, however. Jenner got his start in Somerset as Tony Cooper #3. Bigger roles came later, with Knots Landing as Jeff Cunningham, Dallas as Dr. Jerry Kenderson, and perhaps his most memorable performance, iral William Ross on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine​​​​. Jenner ed away on August 9, 2016, at the age of 75 from leukemia.

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Character: Barry Jenner played Lieutenant Murtaugh in Family Matters, one of Carl's unreliable and annoying superiors in the Chicago Police Department. Murtaugh has an unrequited crush on Rachel (Telma Hopkins) and also a strange bond with Urkel. The pair share a love of root beer floats and discuss their love lives with one another. The friendship doesn't last, however, when Murtaugh takes all of Urkel's money in a poker game. Murtaugh stopped appearing after season 4.

Naya Rivera As Gwendolyn

Date Of Birth: January 12, 1987

• Active Since: 1991

Actor: Naya Rivera's impressive career is overshadowed by the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, which occurred on July 8, 2020, at the age of 33. Rivera went missing after going on a boat ride with her son. Her 4-year-old was found safe on the boat, and the child told officers his mother had lifted him onto the boat after a swim, but then disappeared. Her body was found five days later. Rivera memorably starred in Glee as Santana Lopez, Step Up: High Water as Collette Jones, and At the Devil's Door as Vera.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Naya Rivera played Gwendolyn in three episodes of Family Matters season 4. She's the daughter of the Winslows' next-door neighbor and has a crush on Richie Crawford (Bryton McClure). Richie, for his part, is uninterested, but that doesn't discourage Gwendolyn, who goes to Urkel for love advice.

Rosetta LeNoire As Estelle "Mother" Winslow

Date Of Birth: August 8, 1911

• Active Since: 1939

Actor: Rosetta LeNoire began her career on the stage in 1939, but her first screen performance did not come until 1957, when she played a maid named Mary Ellen Bailey in two episodes of Studio One. Her later roles on TV include Miriam George in Ryan's Hope, Mama Harper in Gimme a Break!, and Leola Forbes in Amen. In film, she memorably voiced characters in the adult animated classic Fritz the Cat and played Judge R. Woods in Brewster's Millions. LeNoire ed away on March 17, 2002, at the age of 90 from pneumonia.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Rosetta LeNoire played Estelle Winslow, usually just called Mother, Carl's mother to be exact. A very wise woman, Mother is always looking out for her kids and grandkids. She was the first person to warm to Urkel, accepting him from the moment he came to visit the Winslows. She's very knowledgeable about pop culture and the happenings of the youth, often more so than people far younger than her. She ends up marrying Fletcher Thomas by the end of the series. Every actor who died from the Family Matters cast leaves a legacy that outstrips even the beloved show.