R.I.P. Erica Faye Watson

Comedian and actress Erica Faye Watson died on Saturday in Jamaica after contracting COVID-19. She had just turned 48 on Friday.

Watson was a regular contributor to Windy City Live in Chicago, and performed on multiple TV series and movies that filmed in Chicago, including The Chi, Chi-Raq, and Chicago Fire. Her other big-screen credits included Precious and Top Five. She’s from Chicago, having graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Film and TV (1998), and a MA in Media Management (2005).

She talked about seeing R. Kelly around the Windy City.

In 2018, she joked about running for mayor of Chicago.

But back in 2007, Watson was performing comedy in New York City, as evidenced by this MSG-TV clip about the old March Madness comedy competition at Carolines on Broadway, featuring Watson and fellow contestant Nate Bargatze (and also Rich Vos).

While in NYC, she began working on her own one-woman show, “Fat Bitch!”

Here she was performing stand-up on Stand-Up In Stilettos, which aired on the TV Guide Network in 2012 (TV Guide Network became POP).

Watson headed down to Jamaica after the pandemic hit. And in a feature that ran last March in Plus Model magazine, Watson talked about wanting to write and direct her own movies.

“I received my Bachelor’s degree in Film Directing years ago from Columbia College Chicago and it’s about time I put it to use. Before I did stand-up comedy, I was writing and directing, but took a break to make folks laugh. Now I’m back on track to pursue my first love and true passion… writing and directing.”

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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