Eddie Murphy has paid tribute to his brother Charlie Murphy following his death.

Charlie’s Murphy’s manager confirmed the comedian and actor died from leukaemia in a hospital in New York City yesterday (April 12). He was 57 years old, and had reportedly been undergoing chemotherapy.

Younger brother Eddie, 56, has since released a statement on behalf of the Murphy family. “Our hearts are heavy with the loss today of our son, brother, father, uncle and friend Charlie. Charlie filled our family with love and laughter and there won’t be a day that goes by that his presence will not be missed,” he said in the statement to Variety.

“Thank you for the outpouring of condolences and prayers. We respectfully ask for privacy during this time of great loss for all of us.”

Charlie Murphy began acting in the ’80s and became a regular part of Dave Chappelle’s Chapelle’s Show in the 2000s. He hosted the segment Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories, which included a sketch where he, brother Eddie and friends played a game of basketball and had pancakes with Prince at his Paisley Park home. 

Murphy also co-wrote some of his brother’s movies, including Vampire In Brooklyn, while he himself appeared in the likes of Black Jesus and Are We There Yet?.

He took part in 2015’s The Comedy Get Down tour, which also featured Cedric The Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, George Lopez and D.L. Hughley on the bill.

Murphy leaves behind three children, including two from his relationship with his wife Tisha Taylor Murphy, who died from cervical cancer in 2009.

Chance The Rapper, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and others have also paid tribute to him on Twitter since news of his death broke.

The post Eddie Murphy pays tribute to brother Charlie Murphy following his death appeared first on NME.

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