Forest Whitaker was married to Keisha Nash Whitaker, the late mother of two of his children, for more than 20 years. So when news broke last December that she had unexpectedly passed away, everyone was completely stunned.
But when the cause of her untimely passing was revealed, shocking details about her life were also exposed. The truth about what Keisha secretly went through in her final years is seriously heartbreaking, so let’s get into it.
On December 6, 2023, Keisha and Forest’s 25-year-old daughter, True Whitaker, announced on her Instagram Story that her mother had passed away. According to USA TODAY, she included a few pictures of her mom and also shared an emotional message.
True started out by writing, “Goodbye mommy. I love you forever and beyond.” She also thanked her mother for teaching her everything she knows. She added that she would continue to feel her mom in her heart and would see her in her dreams.
True’s post took almost everyone by surprise, mainly because Keisha was only 51 years old. But when media outlets started releasing reports about the unfortunate update, there was a layer of mystery surrounding the news.
At the time, the cause of Keisha’s passing still hadn’t been publicly revealed. Most of her family had stayed pretty silent, aside from when True broke the sad news on her Instagram Story. But what happened a couple of days later was absolutely bizarre.
True Shut Down the Rumors About Her Mother
True had posted a tribute to her late mother on her Instagram feed. She made a heart-wrenching confession in the caption. She admitted that it was going to be difficult for her to make her way through life without her mom.
But according to People Magazine, True also took to her Instagram Story that same day to address a specific rumor related to the cause of her mother’s passing. She wrote that total strangers had been claiming to know what had happened, and were even releasing statements about it.
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True shut down the allegations that her mom had been diagnosed with a mental health condition that typically leads to dangerous eating habits. People with the condition can potentially experience serious medical issues, or even pass away as a result.
True explained that the rumors going around claiming that her mother had passed away due to that condition weren’t relevant at all. However, she mentioned that even though her mom did not have the condition, her “heart goes out to those who do.”
True added that she was grateful for the people who had been supportive of her and her family. But she asked everyone “to not speculate and fabricate facts about” her mother’s life, or how it ended.
She ended her message by saying that she and her family would be taking some space to heal. But what happened about a month later was honestly unreal.
Keisha Was Diagnosed with Substance Related Liver Disease
In January, TMZ reported that the official certificate of Keisha’s passing had just been issued. The outlet had obtained a copy, which was included in the article. What it revealed was seriously unexpected.
Keisha was at a Los Angeles hospital at the time of her passing, which was caused by substance-related liver disease. The certificate also stated that she had been battling the disease for years before it ended her life. But that wasn’t all.
The document revealed that substance-related liver disease was the immediate, main cause of Keisha’s passing. However, under the section for significant conditions that also contributed to her passing, it stated acute renal, or kidney, failure.
The TMZ article explained that acute renal failure is a symptom of the exact condition people had been speculating about. But True had strongly denied that her mom suffered from the condition. Whether she was being honest or trying to protect her late mother, she clearly didn’t want to get into it.
Acute renal failure isn’t only a symptom of that one condition, though. According to Mayo Clinic’s website, there’s a huge range of potential causes of renal failure.
Apparently, liver disease and heavy substance use can cause decreased functioning or damage to the kidneys. Mount Sinai’s online Health Library states that substance-related liver disease occurs following years of excessive consumption of adult beverages. Based on the two official causes of Keisha’s passing, she had likely been struggling, both mentally and physically, for years.
Keisha Had Been In and Out of the Hospital
Before a copy of the certificate was publicly released, True was seemingly convinced that her mom hadn’t suffered from the mental health condition that causes destructive eating habits and can also result in very concerning medical problems. But a lot of people believe that she dealt with it for years and tried to keep it private.
What an insider revealed just days after Keisha passed away was absolutely shocking. According to what the source told the Daily Mail, Keisha had allegedly been quietly battling the mental health condition for years. They also claimed that before she passed away, she had been “in and out of the hospital” for a few months due to “intestinal problems.”
The insider also explained that Forest was reportedly completely aware of Keisha’s alleged mental and physical health issues. They added that he had supposedly been there for her during some of her most troubling times, although he ultimately filed for divorce in 2018. The source also mentioned that even after their split was finalized in 2021, Forest still had a lot of respect for Keisha, especially because she had always been an amazing mother.
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In the year before she passed away, her lifestyle changed in a truly unbelievable way. Allegedly, Keisha stopped going out in public due to her health issues. The insider claimed that she “spent a lot of time in the hospital” and at home.
Eventually, she reportedly felt too weak to safely drive. She hired a driver to take her wherever she needed to go.
The source also revealed that Forest had been struggling a lot emotionally and felt overwhelmed by grief after Keisha passed away. Maybe that’s why he didn’t release any kind of statement about her tragic passing, which many people thought was strange.
Forest Didn’t Initially Speak About Keisha’s Passing
After the cause of Keisha’s passing was revealed by TMZ, the article was shared in a thread on Lipstick Alley. Several of the site’s users brought up that it had been about a month since she passed away, and Forest still hadn’t said anything.
Some people found it odd that Forest hadn’t spoken out about Keisha’s passing, considering they had been married for over 20 years and shared two children together. But other people were more understanding about why he seemingly didn’t want to address the devastating situation. Many thought that Forest’s silence was simply because he wanted privacy.
Some social media users made it clear that they hoped he would never release any kind of heartfelt statement about Keisha’s passing, and the reason why was seriously bizarre. Those people believed that when Forest filed for divorce from Keisha, her mental and physical health took a turn for the worse. They felt like he shouldn’t have left her at such a vulnerable time in her life.
However, nobody knows exactly what went on during their marriage, aside from Forest. Several people on the Lipstick Alley thread also defended his decision to file for divorce.
They explained that it was probably so tough for Forest and the rest of the family to not be able to help Keisha like they might have wanted to. If her liver disease and kidney failure truly were the results of a potential mental health condition, plus years of heavy substance use, Forest was most likely in a difficult position, whether he stayed or not.
Keisha Made a Lasting Impact
According to People Magazine, on January 13, Forest gave a moving speech at a celebration of life event for Keisha. He spoke about some of his favorite memories with her and claimed that she had been in the process of writing a very different type of book.
Forest said that Keisha’s book was about celebrating everyday glamor. She allegedly wanted to show people how to make every moment special and glamorous so they could cherish more moments from their everyday lives.
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Then, Forest thanked all of the guests at the service “for being part of a moment” for Keisha. He wrapped up his speech by saying that she was incredible and that they “all love her.” She had clearly made a lasting impact on Forest, and not just because they shared two daughters together.
Keisha’s untimely passing came as a shock to so many people. But sadly, so did the unexpected details of what her life was really like leading up to its tragic ending.
