Actress Naturi Naughton is going through indescribable grief—she lost her father, Ezra Naughton, whom she had a tight-knit relationship with. The seasoned actress, 39, broke the news to fans with a lengthy Instagram post. The post included images of her father and even one with her son over the years.
“💔😢DADDY…I never imagined my life without you! Losing you is my biggest heartbreak! ,” the caption started. “I will miss Your WISDOM, your strength, your unwavering love & support, your voice, your MANY life stories and how you survived in this world, your laugh, your powerful prayers, your playfulness, your ability to see ten steps ahead of me… just all our MEMORIES! I don’t know how I will do this without you! 😭 YOU were my Giant, my superhero, and you made me believe that even as a little Black Caribbean girl from the inner city, I could be a superhero, too! In your eyes, there was NOTHING I couldn’t achieve! You permitted me to DREAM BIG and in color!,” she wrote.
Naughton has indeed dreamed big and experienced success over the past few years. The actress is notorious for her role in the hit TV show Power, produced by rapper 50 Cent.
The actress reminisced about how her father has shown up for her throughout her life and guided her to become the woman she is today. That included taking their family to St.Croix so she understands her roots, making trips to Disney World a ritual to watch Roots, and ensuring she ate at the table. When she moved to Brooklyn to film Power, Ezra also helped Naughton choose the right neighborhood.
Her caption on Instagram continued, “JOB WELL DONE, Daddy! That dark-skinned Cruzan boy came to the mean streets of Brooklyn and made a good life! A full life! You were educated, had 52 YEARS of marriage & raised two beautiful & strong children, and wore a tracksuit like no other! 😜! May you rest peacefully now… although this hurts, I promise you that your hard work will not go in vain! The Naughton legacy lives on! We will live on for you! I love you, Daddy…today, tomorrow, always! 💔 #NaughtonStrong #MyDaddy #RIPDaddy #GodIThankYou”
Naughton has had a few hurdles to jump over in the past year. In addition to having to lay her father to rest, she also had to navigate her husband Xavier ‘Two’ Lewis being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Lewis announced his life-threatening experience on Instagram back in March.
The couple married in Atlanta in April 2022 and then had their first child together in 2023.