Jo Marie Payton, the actress known for playing the mother, Harriette Winslow, in the 90’s sitcom Family Matters, and the grandmother, Suga Mama, in The Proud Family, is celebrating her 76th birthday. Her birthday, which was on August 3rd, came after she suffered an extreme medical emergency last year. According to Entertainment Weekly, the medical emergency has not been disclosed by the actress.
In a video posted on Payton’s Instagram, she thanked her fans for the birthday wishes, ending the video by requesting her fans to continue praying for her. This request for support comes after Payton suffered a medical emergency last year, which left her unable to walk or talk. In the caption of the video put on her Instagram, she added, “Glad to be #76.”
The post put on her Instagram was the first post she had made since Halloween last year. She announced her medical emergency on her Facebook page on April 5th with a video talking about her improvement.
“Two months ago, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t talk, at the start of this last year. But I’m walking better than I thought I would walk, talking better than I thought I would talk. I’m doing okay. Keep praying for me, I’ll be back,” Payton said in the video post.
Payton played the mother of the Winslow family for all nine seasons of the classic sitcom Family Matters. Harriet was the wife of Carl Winslow, played by Reginald VelJohnson (Die Hard, Turner & Hooch). She was also the mother of Eddie, played by Darius McCray (Mississippi Burning, Big Shots), Laura, played by Kellie Shanygne Williams (Ride, What About Joan), and Judie, played by Jaimee Foxworth (TV 101, 20/20).
Payton’s Instagram post was commented on by McCray, with him sending emojis wishing her a happy birthday.