Updated Apr. 28 8:52 p.m. ET: Actor Samuel Monroe Jr.’s health has taken a turn for the worse, according to TMZ.
The outlet reports that the actor’s wife said that in addition to battling meningitis, he’s been diagnosed with the fast-moving, severe lung infection MRSA pneumonia. Monroe has reportedly been put on additional antibiotics, but there seemingly isn’t much left that doctors can do to treat his condition.
As of this writing, he remains on life support.
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Samuel Monroe Jr., known for his appearances in several defining films of the 1990s, including Menace II Society, is in critical condition, according to a message his mother shared on social media.
In a Facebook post, Joyce Patton asked the public to keep her son in their thoughts during what she described as a difficult moment for their family.
“Please pray for Samuel Monroe Jr. my son who is now on life support,” she wrote alongside an image of her son in a hospital bed. “God don’t make no mistakes but he is gracious and I am humbly asking for his mercy and grace for Sam. I love you son… to the moon and back.”
Complex reached out to Monroe Jr.’s wife, Shawna Stewart, who confirmed that her husband, is on life support amid a prolonged battle with meningitis.
“Around 18 months ago, Samuel was in Las Vegas filming, and unfortunately, that is where he contracted meningitis,” Stewart told Complex. “He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months.”
Stewart explained that by the time the infection was “finally identified,” it had “already spread not only to his spine but also to his brain.”
The statement concludes with Monroe Jr.’s family, which includes his wife, his children Kingston Monroe, Brooklynn Monroe, and Michaela Monroe, his mother Joyce, and his siblings and extended family, asking everyone to “keep him in their prayers, as Samuel remains on life support due to meningitis.”
Monroe Jr. built a recognizable presence during the ’90s with roles in films like the aforementioned Menace II Society, Set It Off, Tales from the Hood, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice, What Goes Around Comes Around, and The Players Club.
