Coronji Calhoun, Actor in Halle Berry’s ‘Monster’s Ball,’ Dies at 30

Coronji Calhoun, who in his only onscreen appearance scored high marks for his portrayal of the overweight son of Halle Berry and Sean Combs’ characters in the 2001 feature Monster’s Ball, has died. He was 30.

Calhoun died Oct. 13, his mother, Theresa Bailey, revealed in a note on a GoFundMe page that had her seeking financial help “as we prepare to give Coronji a sacred celebration of life.”

Berry and Lee Daniels, one of the producers on Monster’s Ball, were among those making donations; each gave $3,394, according to the website.

“We are blown away by the outpouring of love the community and Coronji’s adopted family has shown during our process of grief,” Bailey wrote. “While the financial burden has been lifted, we still mourn the loss of my son. As we close this chapter, we ask that in your remembrance of him, you remember to love your neighbor as yourself, because that is what Coronji did for his entire community.”

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The cause of death was congestive heart failure and lung problems, New Orleans TV station WWL reported.

A native of New Sarpy, Louisiana, Calhoun was 10 and had never acted before when he was cast as Tyrell Musgrove in Lionsgate’s Monster’s Ball, directed by Marc Forster. Berry became the first Black actress to win the best actress Oscar for her turn as Leticia Musgrove, a woman who has a romantic relationship with the prison corrections officer (Billy Bob Thornton) who assisted in her husband’s execution.

Many reviewers came away impressed with Calhoun’s work in the movie.

In a 2002 interview, Berry said she found it difficult to berate her onscreen son for being overweight, so she spent time “kissing him and hugging him every minute before and right after and really making an investment in him.

“It was hard because he said something really heartbreaking to us: Marc and I were talking to him, saying this is just a movie, and I kept saying, ‘Everything I do and say, it’s not real, I really think you’re wonderful.’ And he said, ‘Well, whatever you do to me, Halle Berry, it isn’t going to be worse than what the kids at school do to me.'”

In addition to his mom, survivors include his son and his stepson.

Nov. 12 11 A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Calhoun’s date of death. He died Oct. 13.