Dawson’s Creek star Obi Ndefo dies aged 51

Obi Ndefo, who starred in Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 51.

Ndefo, an actor and yoga teacher, was known for playing Bodie in the American drama series, which also starred Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, and Joshua Jackson.

He appeared in the recurring role from 1998 to 2002, with his character settling in Capeside with his family and becoming a chef.

Bodie was in a relationship with Bessie Potter (played by Nina Repeta), and the on-screen couple welcomed son Alexander in 1998.

Ndefo’s sister, Nkem Ndefo, confirmed his death in a Facebook post today. No cause of death has been shared yet.

‘Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother 💔 and knowing he’s finally at peace ❤️‍🩹🕊️✨,’ she wrote.

She added a sweet photo alongside the tribute, showing her late sibling smiling.

Mary-Margaret Humes, who played Gale Leery in Dawson’s Creek, shared her own tribute on social media.

‘These words don’t come easy,’ she began in a devastating Instagram post.

‘It’s hard for me to conceive that you have left us, my dear friend. You always were and always will be a bright shining light.

‘What an example of pure unfiltered love and tenacity you set as you faced life’s challenges of recent.’

‘I will cherish all of our messages of love and support to each other over the past few years. Rest in peace sweet warrior,’ Mary-Margaret concluded.

Fans also took to X to pay tribute, with Arditi_d_Popolo writing on X: ‘Rest in power, Obi Ndefo. You were such a light to the world. I am heartbroken.’

The sad news of Ndefo’s death comes after he lost both of his legs in a hit-and-run incident in August 2019.

Having just finished teaching a yoga class, he stopped for groceries at the Erewhon Market in Los Angeles, California.

While putting his bags into his parked car, an SUV on Beverly Boulevard veered out of its lane and collided with him, before the driver sped off.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Ndefo was left with one leg severed and the other hanging off, leaving doctors no choice but to amputate.

Speaking about the accident and how it impacted his life, Ndefo told the outlet: ‘How do you know how you would handle this? And anyway, what’s the alternative?

‘This is just so horrendous what happened to me, why would I compound this by feeling bad about it?’

‘There is no other choice for me,’ he added. ‘So there’s a, sort of, rigor to me, and I think, “Ok my legs are severed. I don’t know how to do this, but I know how to do this”.’

A fundraiser was later set up for the TV star, with fans raising over $200,000 (£152,317) so he could make his home more accessible to his needs.