Katie Holmes is paying tribute to her late Dawson’s Creek co-star Obi Ndefo. The actor died at the age of 51, which his sister Nkem Ndefo confirmed in a Facebook post on Saturday, August 31.
“Heartbroken to lose my little brother and know he is now at peace,” she captioned the social media post, which also featured a photo of the two siblings hugging each other and smiling for the camera.
On Sunday, September 1, Holmes, 45, reposted a screenshot of a reel posted by Dawson’s Creek co-star Mary-Margaret Humes on her Instagram Stories, writing of Ndefo, “He was wonderful to work with and was a very kind person. I send my prayers and blessings to his family. Rest in peace.”
Obi played Bessie Potter’s boyfriend, Bodie Wells, on Dawson’s Creek from 1998 to 2002. His character lived with Holmes’ character, Joey Potter, Bessie’s younger sister.
Humes, 70, who played Gail Leary on the popular teen drama, paid tribute to Obi in the caption of her Instagram post, calling him a “shining light” and an example of “pure unfiltered love and perseverance.” “It’s hard for me to imagine you’ve left us, my dear friend,” she said, adding, “Rest in peace, sweet warrior.”
According to his profile on LA Theatre Works, Obi, a graduate of Yale University Drama School, was also a yoga teacher. In addition to Dawson’s Creek, his TV credits include NCIS: Los Angeles, The West Wing and NYPD Blue.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Obi was left with two leg disabilities after he was hit by an SUV while loading groceries in a supermarket parking lot in 2019. Talking about the accident in a video interview with the publication in 2020, Obi said he could have easily died in the crash but has now accepted the reality of his loss.
He said: “I am in a new body now. Life goes on.” The cause of Obi Ndefo’s death is not known as the actor’s sister did not mention it in her earlier announcement on Facebook.