Actor Jaleel White–who played Steve Urkel on the Family Matters TV Show–Has Committed Suicide-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Supposedly an Associated Press report circulated in June, 2006 that actor Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel on the popular Family Matters television show, committed suicide in Los Angeles.
The Truth:
This story is a hoax.
TruthOrFiction.com has confirmed that Jaleel White is alive and well. His father’s office in Southern California said they had gotten a lot of phone calls in response to the eRumor and that it is not true.
White played Steve Urkel, the nerdy star of the Family Matters show, which aired for nine seasons on both CBS and ABC. Michael Warren, the Executive Producer of Family Matters told TruthOrFiction.com that the Steve Urkel character was originally written into just one episode in the first season. White’s performance was such a hit with the live audience, however, and eventually with the television audience, that he became a regular from the second season to the end of the show. Steve Urkel became everybody’s favorite nerd and one of the most memorable and recognizable characters in television. Warren said that it had a significant impact on the ratings of the show and its subsequent success.
Updated 6/6/06