The Tragic Story of ‘Family Matters’ Star Michelle Thomas
For many TV fans, Michelle Thomas will always be remembered as sweet Myra Monkhouse, the girl who loved Steve Urkel on Family Matters. Others might also first recall her as Justine Phillips, Theo Huxtable’s girlfriend on The Cosby Show, or as Callie Rogers on The Young and the Restless, a role she played in the final year of her life. Despite her success, her life was tragically cut short at just 30 years old after being diagnosed with a very rare cancer.
Michelle Doris Thomas was born on September 23, 1968, in Brookline, Massachusetts, to parents in the entertainment industry. Her father, Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, was a founding member of Kool & the Gang, and her mother, Phynjuar Thomas, was a stage actress who also became Michelle’s acting coach. At just 15, she was crowned Miss Talented Teen International in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which led her to try acting.
Bob D’Amico/ABC/Everett Collection
By the late ’80s, Michelle got her big break on The Cosby Show and quickly became a fan favorite. In 1993, she joined Family Matters, where audiences loved her portrayal of Myra, the girl who saw something special in Urkel long before anyone else did. She also appeared in films and music videos, and even guest-hosted Soul Train. In 1998, she began her role on The Young and the Restless, finally getting the chance to play a more mature character.
Tragically, Michelle’s career and life were disrupted when she was diagnosed in 1997 with a rare form of cancer called desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor. Even more heartbreaking, she was a lifelong vegetarian who neither smoked nor drank. She underwent multiple surgeries, even returning home to spend Thanksgiving with her family, just weeks before her health took a sharp decline. Friends and family recalled her positivity during those final months.
On December 23, 1998, Michelle passed away at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York with her parents, friends and former boyfriend Malcolm-Jamal Warner at her side. Warner said that her last words were “Elephant juice,” for a very special reason. He explained, according to PEOPLE, that the phrase “looks like you’re saying, ‘I love you.’ That was always our thing. When I saw her, I said, ‘Elephant juice.’ She smiled and said, ‘Elephant juice.'”
Remind 
February 2021
1990s Rom-Coms
Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.
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