Since the news of Gregg Leakes passing on September 1, many notable names in Atlanta and from the entertainment industry at large have offered support to NeNe Leakes. They all made an effort to be there for her as the TV personality and entrepreneur celebrated Gregg’s life with a memorial this week.
The “Celebration of Life” was held at NeNe’s space the Linnethia Lounge in Duluth, Georgia. There were performances from some phenomenal singers, including Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams, Keke Wyatt, Le’Andria Johnson and Tamar Braxton, as well as words from Pastor Jamal Bryant. The venue was packed with family, friends and colleagues, from all of Leakes’ former Real Housewives of Atlanta co-stars past and present (including everyone from DeShawn Snow and Lisa Wu to Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams), to familiar faces, including rapper Trina and TV personalities Al Reynolds, AJ Calloway, Laura Govan, stars from Married to Medicine including Dr. Jackie, Mariah Huq and more. Their presence was appreciated by NeNe.
“I am grateful for all of you,” she said in a post. “THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!”
She added, “I LOVE GREGG SO MUCH AND MISS HIM A LOT. I will continue to be strong and celebrate his life.”
Gregg passed away at the age of 66 after a battle with colon cancer that started back in 2018. After being told the next year that the cancer was gone, it returned, with NeNe sharing this summer that he was fighting for his life. In the end, he died surrounded by his wife and children.
“Today the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart. After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by all of his children, very close loved ones and wife Nene Leakes,” publicist Ernest Dukes shared at the time.
Gregg was beloved by many, hence the overflow of attendees. One of those guests was Kenya Moore. The RHOA star, who has bumped heads significantly with NeNe on the show in the past said that despite what you see on TV, it was a “no-brainer” that she needed to show up to be of support.
“I flew in for the memorial, the repass. I think it was everything she probably wanted it to be because people were happy, and I think he would’ve wanted people to be happy because his life was so full and so beautiful and he was such a great person,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “So even though it was hard for me to be there, it seemed like she got what she wanted, for people to smile, and I think he would’ve been happy about that.”
It’s certainly good to see NeNe smile as she celebrates the memory of the love of her life.
“Gregg and I have been together for a really, really long time and we are family for real,” she said of loving him through ups and down, through sickness and in health back in 2019. “We’re just not gonna be apart.”
The couple were together for more than 20 years, meeting in 1996 and marrying for the first time in 1997 before divorcing in 2011. They remarried in 2013 and share a son named Brentt. NeNe has son Bryson from a previous relationship and Gregg, married before, had five children of his own: Katrina, Denton, Damian, Daryl and Dexter Leakes.