Shirley Hemphill’s Shocking Death at 52—Discovered by Gardener

Shirley Hemphill was an American comedian and actress best known for playing the sharp-tongued waitress Shirley Wilson on the sitcom What’s Happening!! (1976–1979) and its sequel What’s Happening Now!! (1985–1988). She also starred in the short-lived ABC comedy One in a Million in 1980, where she played a working-class woman who unexpectedly inherits a large corporation.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Hemphill was the daughter of Richard and Mozella Hemphill and had one brother, William. An aspiring stand-up comedian, she once sent a cassette tape of one of her routines to comedian Flip Wilson. He was so impressed that he mailed her a cassette recorder and a dozen roses in return. She got her start in stand-up comedy before breaking into television, earning fans with her bold humor and strong screen presence.

Despite her fame, Shirley Hemphill kept much of her personal life private. She never married and had no children.

On December 10, 1999, Hemphill was found dead in her home in West Covina, California. A gardener discovered her body through a bedroom window and alerted authorities. She was 52. An autopsy later confirmed that she had died of kidney failure. Hemphill was cremated.