Anthony Johnson’s widow says her family doesn’t have enough money to cover his funeral expenses after the actor’s death earlier this month, and she accuses his closest associates of not providing any financial help to give him a proper homegoing.
In a tearful interview with TMZ, Lexis Jones Mason doesn’t name names but reveals that she has been struggling to get Johnson’s friends to honor their commitment to help with his final arrangements.
“It’s just hurtful,” she told the outlet, revealing that Johnson was not covered by life insurance. “I would not be asking if we had it, or we had a policy,” she said. “It’s people that’s saying that they’re going to give money, we haven’t received it.”
She goes on to admonish those who are financially able but had not stepped up during the family’s time of grief.
“Please stop the fake love. Please stop the fake calls. Please stop the fake texts,” Mason says in the interview.
At the time of the interview with TMZ on Tuesday, less than $800 had been donated, she said.
But by late Wednesday afternoon, it appeared that many had gotten the message as the GoFundMe page had raised more than $27,000, soaring past Mason’s fundraising goal of $20,000. The top donor contributed $4,000.
The money will be used for a celebration to honor the actor who is most remembered for his role as the loud-mouthed panhandler Ezal in the 1995 comedy hit “Friday.”
“Please help us by donating for his homegoing service and ongoing support for his children and grandchildren,” a statement says on the page. “We want to honor him the way he deserves.”
Mason said she would be forced to have Johnson cremated if she doesn’t raise enough money to cover the funeral costs.
Deadline reported that Johnson passed away Sept. 6, which was more than two weeks ago.
The widely acclaimed comedian was found unresponsive in a Los Angeles store earlier this month and later pronounced dead, according to reports.
He was 55 years old. Officials have not revealed his cause of death.
Johnson worked alongside many celebrities throughout his career, including Ice Cube, Chris Tucker and Martin Lawrence.
Johnson’s final film credits came in 2019 for “I Got The Hook Up 2,” “The Dummy,” and “Shorty Betta Go 2 Work.”
The website Celebrity Net Worth placed the actor’s net worth around $100,000 at the time of his death.
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