The Wayans family is in deep sorrow. Howell Wayans, their patriarch, has passed away. He was 86. Marlon Wayans, one the ten famous children of Howell Wayans, announced the tragic news on Instagram on Saturday while also paying tribute to his late father. Marlon recalled a childhood memory in which he asked his father what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“He simply said ‘I wanted to be a man,'” Wayans wrote in his caption. “I said ‘not a lawyer? A doctor? An actor?’ He said ‘just a man.’ I said ‘but every boy becomes a man.’ Dad said, ‘Not true.’ I asked ‘then what’s a man?’ My Dad said ‘A man takes care of himself and his responsibilities. His family is always FIRST.’ From that day on I wanted to be a MAN.'”
The 50-year-old comedian and actor then thanked his “Pop” for “being an example of a Man to all your boys.” He added, “I got two angels. I feel y’all lifting me already. If there’s a heaven I know you sitting in VIP sippin’ the best wine jesus can make.”
Elvira Wayans, the Wayans matriarch, passed away in July 2020. She was 81. Howell’s cause of death, like Elvira’s, was not disclosed.
Howell and Elvira had ten children: Keenen Ivory, Damon, Shawn, Marlon, Dwayne, Kim, Nadia, Elvira, Diedre, and Vonnie, all of whom were raised in New York City. They were all well-known for their work in front of and behind the camera on numerous Hollywood projects, including the hit show The Wayans Bros., which aired 101 episodes over five seasons on the WB.
The Wayans family also contributed to the Scary Movie franchise, In Living Color, Don’t Be a Menace, and the cult classic White Chicks.