Actor Samuel Monroe Jr dead at 52 after devastating meningitis battle

Samuel Monroe Jr, who is best known for his role in classic 1993 film Menace II Society, has died at 52 following a devastating meningitis battle which landed him in the hospital for months.

The veteran actor has been on life support since April with several health issues after contracting meningitis.

Since then the actor's family had been hit with more bad news as he also contracted lung infection methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia and was also put on dialysis for a failing kidney.

Now, his mother Joyce Patton revealed the news of her son's death on Facebook as she wrote 'today God called him home' while asking for prayers for the family especially his three children.

She wrote: 'I want to thank all of my facebook family and friends new and old for praying for Samuel Monroe, Jr., my son. But today God called him home. Please honor my final request to pray for the family especially his 3 children.' 

The matriarch confirmed to TMZ that the actor died at the hospital around 10:24 PM on Wednesday.    

Monroe is best known for his role in 1993's teen crime drama Menace II Society which starred Samuel L. Jackson, Tyrin Turner and Jada Pinkett Smith. He's also been seen in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Set It Off, Out All Night and NYPD Blue.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering brain and spinal cord. 1 in 6 people dies from bacterial meningitis (BM) according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In April, Monroe Jr. had been put on dialysis due to severe kidney issues, amid his fight for life in a Southern California hospital.

The actor was diagnosed by doctors with failing kidneys, his spouse Shawna Stewart told TMZ at the time.

The grim news came just two days after Stewart said Monroe had recently been diagnosed with the lung infection methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia.

Stewart said doctors had started a new antibiotic regimen to try to combat the bacteria, but now his family can only wait and see if the treatments are effective. 

Patients suffering from MRSA pneumonia, which is often contracted in hospitals, can have inflamed lungs that fill with fluid or pus, making breathing difficult, according to Healthline. 

MRSA pneumonia is resistant to several kinds of antibiotics, which also makes treating it more difficult. 

Individuals with MRSA pneumonia that isn't quickly treated may develop potentially deadly sepsis - in which the body overreacts and begins to attack healthy tissues in response to an infection - and septic shock, in which blood pressure plummets and organs can fail in people suffering from sepsis.

Monroe is married to corporate tech executive and voice actor Stewart, and has two children: 12-year-old Kingston Monroe and 11-year-old Brooklynn Monroe 

Monroe's mother Patton previously posted on Facebook, saying: 'God don’t make no mistakes, but he is gracious, and I am humbly asking for his mercy and grace for Sam. I love you, son, to the moon and back 100 times.'

His family had also created a GoFundMe in order to help pay for his medical bills, as the description reads: 'Every donation, no matter the size, will help ease the burden on Samuel’s family and ensure that Kingston and Brooklynn have the support they need while their father fights for his life.'

It was also revealed on the crowd funding page that the actor has endured two brain surgeries and is now on life support.

Stewart confirmed to Complex that the actor was on life support amid a prolonged battle with meningitis: 'Around 18 months ago, Samuel was in Las Vegas filming, and unfortunately, that is where he contracted meningitis.

'He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months.'

She revealed that by the time the infection had been 'finally identified,' it had 'already spread not only to his spine but also his brain.' 

Stewart's statement to Complex concluded by asking that their family is urging everyone to 'keep him in their prayers, as Samuel remains on life support due to meningitis.'

He has recently been working as a director, writer and producer, producing his own TV series, The Halls, about children who enter the Juvenile Hall system at a young age.

In Menace II Society, he portrayed Ilena's cousin as Ilena was portrayed by Erin Leshawn Wiley. Ilena is impregnated by main character Kaydee 'Caine' Lawson – portrayed by Tyrin Turner – who then stomps out Monroe Jr.'s character.

Ilena's cousin then seeks vengeance as he and his friends drive-by shootout which results in the tragic death of Caine at the end of the film. 

Monroe Jr.'s latest role was as Zero in 2022 television film Shine Kings.

He also starred as The Intruder in the 2021 film Lockdown 2025 which is centered around a virus outbreak which leads to a nationwide lockdown with martial law declared.

Monroe Jr. also embarked on his own rap career with songs produced by stars including Battlecat and Duane Nettlesby.