Bill Cosby and his family are mourning the comedian’s daughter Ensa Cosby, who died in Massachusetts at the age of 44 on Friday, February 23.
“The Cosby family thanks many people for their prayers for their beloved and beautiful Ensa, who recently died from renal disease,” Bill’s spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, February 26.
Though Ensa largely stayed out of the spotlight throughout her life (aside from a brief appearance on The Cosby Show in 1989), she was a vocal supporter of her father after he was accused of sexual assault and misconduct in recent years by more than 60 women. (The 80-year-old has denied the allegations.)
“I am a very private person and have chosen to live my life quietly with my family. But for my child, my niece, my nephew, and my father, I cannot sit quietly anymore,” Ensa said in a statement in May 2017. “The accusations against my father have been one-sided from the beginning. When he tried to defend himself, he was sued in civil court. I’ve seen the accusations become more horrific and extreme with time, and I’ve witnessed my father’s reputation and legendary works be dismissed without any proof.”
The TV scion went on to say at the time that she believed her father was “innocent of the crimes alleged against him” and that she believed “racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal.”
Ensa is survived by her parents, Bill and Camille Cosby, and siblings Erika, 52, Erinn, 51, and Evin, 41. Her brother Ennis was murdered at age 27 in a failed robbery attempt in 1997.
