'Dawson's Creek' Star Dead At 51 Five Years After Losing Both Legs In Car Crash
"Dawson Creek" alum Obi Ndefo has died, his family announced. He was 51.
The actor's sister, Nkem Ndefo, confirmed his death via a Facebook post Saturday.
"Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother and knowing he's finally at peace," she wrote alongside a photo of her with her brother.
No cause of death was disclosed.
Following his passing, some of Ndefo's former "Dawson Creek" co-stars shared tributes to the late actor via social media.
Mary-Margaret Humes — who played Dawson Leery's mom Gail Leery on "Dawson Creek" — took to Instagram to post a montage of clips featuring Ndefo on the set of the series, which aired from 1998 to 2003.
"These words don't come easy," she wrote alongside the footage. "It's hard for me to conceive that you have left us, my dear friend."
"You always were and always will be a bright shining light," Humes continued. "What an example of pure unfiltered love and tenacity you set as you faced life's challenges of recent. I will cherish all of our messages of love and support to each other over the past few years. Rest in peace sweet warrior."
Katie Holmes also remembered her late co-star in a post on her Instagram Stories.
Alongside a screenshot of Humes' post, Holmes wrote: "He was wonderful to work with and such a kind man. I send prayers and grace to his family. Rest in Peace [heart emoji]."
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In the teen drama, Ndefo played Bodie Wells, the boyfriend of Bessie Potter (Nina Repeta).
Bessie was the older sister of Holmes' character Joey Potter.
A graduate of Yale University's drama school, Ndefo appeared in other television series, including "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The West Wing," "NYPD Blue," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Stargate SG-1."
Ndefo passed away five years after he lost both of his legs due to a hit-and-run in Los Angeles.
The actor was loading groceries into his parked car outside of Erewhon Market on Aug. 17, 2019, when a car slammed into him, the Los Angeles Times reported.
His right leg was severed in the crash, and his left leg was later amputated at the hospital.
A GoFundMe page helped Ndefo raise enough funds to cover his hospital expenses and get a pair of prosthetic legs.
Despite the traumatic incident, the actor became active again just a little over a month after the crash and began documenting his recovery and workouts on social media.
"I so clearly could have died....I had to instantaneously accept the reality of loss," Ndefo told the L.A. Times in 2020.
"I started to realize day by day that...who says that this isn't an opportunity?" he continued. "I'm in a new body now. Life goes on."
In addition to being an actor, he also worked as a yoga teacher.
