death, Hemphill appeared in an episode of The Jenny Jones Show in a What's Happening!! reunion show; actors Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson also appeared. Death On December 10, 1999, Hemphill was found dead at her home in West Covina, California, aged 52. Her body was discovered by a gardener who looked through a window and saw her lying on her bedroom floor. An autopsy determined that Hemphill died of kidney failure. She was cremated. Filmography References External links 1947 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from North Carolina American stand-up comedians American women comedians Deaths from kidney failure People from Asheville, North Carolina African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century American comedians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people Comedians from North Carolina Comedians from California