Gabrielle Union is mourning the loss of her father, Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr., who died on April 3 at age 81 following a years-long battle with dementia. In an emotional tribute shared over the weekend, Union revealed that her father had been living in memory care since 2023 as his condition worsened.
Union described the progression of dementia in stark terms, explaining that the disease first appeared through small lapses in memory before rapidly changing her father’s ability to communicate and move.
“No matter how much you think you know about dementia, nothing prepares you for the painfully slow disappearing of your loved one,” she wrote.
Union said there came a point when her father could no longer swallow or walk, adding that “the them that you know gets smaller and smaller.”
In her tribute, Union focused less on the disease than on the man she said existed before it. She remembered her father as “the life of every party,” a devoted fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and someone who believed deeply in hard work and looking after other people.
“He never met a stranger, just friends he hadn’t met yet,” she wrote.
Union also called him a “perfectly imperfect man and father” who spent years acknowledging his mistakes and making amends.
The actress also thanked the medical workers and memory-care staff who helped care for her father in his final years, while also praising her sisters for stepping in as his condition deteriorated. The Instagram tribute included videos of Sylvester singing, celebrating with family, and spending time with Union, her husband Dwyane Wade, and their children.
Messages of support quickly followed from friends and colleagues, including Aja Naomi King and Robin Thede.
Union’s family’s experience reflects a growing national crisis. According to data from the National Institutes of Health, roughly 42 percent of Americans over 55 are now expected to develop dementia in their lifetime, and the number of new U.S. cases each year is projected to more than double by 2060.
Rates are also increasing among younger adults, particularly Black families, who are expected to see a sharp rise in diagnoses over the coming decades.
