While Regina King has been privately dealing with the recent loss of her 26 year-old son Ian, we now know that she’s aware and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support she’s received.
Per Page Six, King’s friend and veteran actress Vivica A. Fox said as much during a recent episode of Fox Soul’s Cocktails With Queens where she tearfully shared the an update with co-hosts Claudia Jordan, LisaRaye McCoy and and Syleena Johnson.
“I was with Regina last night and she’s OK,” Fox explained, recounting how she visited the One Night in Miami director over the weekend. “I was able to hug her. I just had to go see my friend, my sister. On the way there I had to call and ask people, ‘What do you say? I’m scared. I don’t want to say something wrong.’”
After noting how strong King was given the heartbreaking circumstances, Fox added: “She said to tell everybody that she’s gotten ya’ll’s texts. The outpouring of love for her, her family, her son, she appreciates it. She’s surrounded by so much love, y’all. That was the beautiful thing, that when I got there, our community is right there for her. If you never, ever thought that the African American actresses, actors and talent supports and loves each other, I saw it last night.”
Fox concluded by urging others to “stop, take a moment and make sure they’re OK,” citing the dark place that COVID has put us all in over the last three years and to check on people who may be in distress.
“If you see someone in distress, check on them. Check on ‘em,” she said. “We’ve got people every day—I’ve never thought about suicide in our community and how so many people are taking their own lives that don’t want to be here... But it’s been eye-opening for me. It really has been. And I’ve been trying to be strong, ‘ooh girl, please don’t shed no tears today.’ But my tears are that I know my friend is OK, y’all. She really is. We’re going to get through this, but we definitely have to start bringing more awareness to mental illness.”