Howell Wayans, the patriarch of the iconic Wayans family, died at 86 years old, his youngest son Marlon announced Saturday.
“Legend,” Marlon Wayans said in a tribute on Instagram. “Thank you Pop for being an example of a Man to all your boys. I pray all young black boys can grow up to be a Man like you. Baby boy loves you. And if ever I need you I know exactly where to find you… in my Bible that now sits by bed.”
No cause of death was disclosed.
Howell Wayans had ten children with Elvira, most of whom have found success in entertainment — Keenan Ivory, Damon, Shawn, Dwayne, Kim, Nadia, Elvira, Diedra, Vonnie and Marlon.
Marlon continued his tribute, asking his father to kiss his late mother Elvira Alethia, who died in July 2020.
“Rest well. Kiss Ma for me. Tell her her babies miss her. I got two angels. I feel y’all lifting me already. If there’s a heaven I know you sitting in VIP sippin’ the best wine jesus can make…”
Tributes poured in Saturday for the late Wayans from family members to comedians and other celebrities.
“My Heart is Heavy. I thank God for allowing Us to have so many years of love, memories and great parent,” said Diedre Wayans, the eldest daughter of Howell and Elvira.
Diedre’s son, Craig, shared his own tribute to his grandfather on Instagram, “First to last… family on mines. Love you pops! Jehovah just gained another strong soldier.”
In a separate post several hours later, Marlon Wayans shared another photo of his father with a glass of wine captioned “My man 50 grand. Every time I sip a hood of wine I’ll think of you.”
“My prayers to you and the family my brother rest in peace to ya pops,” commented two time heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe.
“Amen and Rest in Peace Howell Wayans. Thank You JESUS for blessing the Wayans brothers with the gift of comedy and making our hearts laugh through (too) many decades,” said Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves.
Marlon was on stage performing a standup only three hours after his father’s death, and only revealed the news to the audience at the very end of the show, TMZ reported.
