The Tragic Death Of Midwin Charles
MSNBC analyst Midwin Charles has died at the age of 47. Her death was confirmed by her family, who wrote a loving message in her honor on Twitter. "It is with a profoundly heavy heart and the deepest sadness that we announce the untimely passing of our beloved Midwin Charles. She was known to many as a legal commentator on television but to us she was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, niece and cousin. Our lives are forever changed and we will miss her for a lifetime." The family also asked for time to grieve.
In addition to her work at MSNBC, Charles lent her expertise as a legal analyst on networks like CNN and HLN, according to her website. She also contributed to Essence magazine and The Huffington Post.
Her family and friends are struggling to deal with the fact that she is gone. Keep reading to learn everything we know at this point.
Midwin Charles was an accomplished defense attorney and legal analyst
Midwin Charles died on April 6, 2021 and the cause of her death is, at the time of this writing, unknown, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Although there are no details about Charles' cause of death, her friend Dean Obeidallah shared a tweet alluding to health issues. "Heartbroken my friend Midwin Charles has passed," he wrote. "I literally emailed her 2 days ago wishing her a speedy recovery, telling her I 'miss chatting with you' on my show. She responded but never shared how serious the illness was. I will always remember her as a kind, beautiful person."
She attended Syracuse University and earned her law degree from American University. Charles went on to create the law firm Midwin Charles & Associates, based in New York City. She lectured at Syracuse University and was part of the Dean's Diversity Council at American University's Washington College of Law, according to her website.
Tributes poured in on Twitter, with a notable message from journalist Joy Reid. "Midwin dear heart, you were a brilliant spirit and beautiful soul. You were such a blessing. I'm just stunned, and have been since I learned of this today," she wrote. Our thoughts go out to Charles' loved ones.
Midwin Charles' CNN colleagues expressed sadness and shock
Although the cause of Midwin Charles' death has not yet been revealed, there is one small detail raising eyebrows on social media. On March 19, 2021, Charles posted a telling message on her Instagram. She wrote, "Hey guys! Sadly, happy hour tonight is cancelled. I'm not feeling well. See you next Friday." She concluded her message with champagne glass emoji.
We are not sure what she is referring to, but it's possible she was struggling with health issues for some time. Her family has not yet commented on the post, which makes us think she was dealing with something quite serious. According to social media posts from family and friends (via Essence), they seem to agree that she is gone too soon.
Charles frequently appeared as a commentator on CNN, and her colleagues Sophia Nelson and Keith Boykin are even questioning how she died. Nelson tweeted, "I just am sitting here in shock. @MidwinCharles was truly authentic, kind, smart, helpful always to her fellow sisters. 47. That's years younger than me. Does anyone know what happened? Was she sick? This is just hard to take. My heart goes out to her mom and family. So sad."
Boykin was distraught over the passing of his former colleague, writing, "I am stunned and saddened to learn the news about the loss of Midwin Charles. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. May she rest in power." Adding "rest in power" could have hinted at how dire Charles' situation was, according to The Sun.
Even more tributes pour out on Twitter after Midwin Charles' death
Midwin Charles appeared on many networks throughout her career, and even more of her colleagues and friends took to social media to pay their respects. The View co-host Sunny Hostin could not believe her friend was gone, writing, "Midwin was my friend. We worked together on In Session/Court TV. She was a brilliant beautiful legal mind."
CNN anchor Don Lemon also paid his respects with a touching tweet, "My dear @MidwinCharles, We will miss your brilliance, beauty, grace, wit and glowing presence. Our collective hearts are broken. Rest in power dear lady. #MidwinCharles #RIPMidwinCharles." Fellow TV journalist Tamron Hall grappled with the news, writing, "Sending my prayers to Midwin's family and friends, she was so loved and respected."
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement following Charles' death, saying it was a "tragic loss for our city." He went on to say, "Midwin Charles spoke out for justice, for equality and for the Haitian community that she loved so much and in which she inspired so much pride."