Comedian and The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood was onstage for a live Netflix roast of Kevin Hart on Sunday. During the show, jokes about the 62-year-old woman’s husband surfaced, raising questions about what happened to Michael Sparkman.
Who was Michael Sparkman?
Sheryl Underwood has spoken publicly for years about the devastating loss of her husband, Michael Sparkman, who committed suicide in 1990 after battling severe depression during their marriage.
Underwood married Sparkman, a chef, in 1987. According to the television host, the couple endured a difficult year as he battled worsening mental health issues, including an attempted overdose before his death.
Speaking to People in 2016, Underwood recalled the last conversation she had with him before he died.
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“I’ll never forget it,” she told People in 2016. It’s the most painful thing in the world because he’s not coming back.”
Sparkman died in August 1990, three years after the couple’s marriage.
Sheryl Underwood gets emotional while discussing Kate Spade’s death
Years later, Underwood revisited her personal tragedy while discussing Kate Spade’s death during an emotional episode of The Talk. The conversation followed Spade’s death by suicide which shocked the fashion industry and the broader public. During the segment, Underwood became emotional as she thought about losing her husband.
“I’m emotional about this because, as you know, my husband killed himself. And you’ll never know. People who think they know, you’ll never know it’s clinical depression. You’ll never know it’s financial stress. You’ll never know,” Underwood told her co-hosts on “The Talk.”
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He also talked about the pain left behind by surviving family members.
“And that pain doesn’t go away…it doesn’t go away,” Underwood continued. “So I really hope that the family can come together for her daughter because this doesn’t end like this.”
Underwood talks about the impact of suicide notes
During the discussion, Underwood specifically addressed the emotional toll caused by suicide notes, and revealed that her husband had also left behind a suicide note.
She said, “I’m sad for his daughter that she’s in the note because my husband left a note. And what that note does for the person who is still alive is it shows that the person who is no longer alive now has the last word.”
At the time, Spade died, leaving behind her husband, Andy Spade, and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix.
Andy Spade later released a statement mourning his wife’s death.
“Kate was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the kindest person I’ve ever met.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).