Christian comedian Chonda Pierce’s husband, David, died Tuesday night following emergency brain surgery. The couple had been married 31 years.
“David is home,” Pierce wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday evening after posting several earlier updates about his condition.
Pierce reported on July 15 that her husband had suffered a stroke in two areas of his brain, and she wrote about his condition multiple times a day since then.
At 1:26 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, she wrote, “David has taken a very bad turn. He is not responding, and they’ve called in the neurologist… Please say an added prayer for him.”
She followed that up with an update at 5 a.m. saying he had a “hemophragic stroke” and was bleeding in his brain. Pierce said he had no chance without surgery, minimal with surgery, and he was headed in for emergency brain surgery.
“This is his only hope to remove the portion of his brain and try and stop the bleeding. I have no other words,” she wrote.
Later that morning, Pierce thanked her supporters and wrote another update: “David is out of surgery, and now we just wait and see. There was quite a bit of damage,” she said. “Removed a large portion of damaged area, and there was a lot of bleeding. The surgeon said it is very serious and just not certain of anything… He is in God’s hands completely now. I have loved him since I was 16 years old. He is one of the greatest men I’ve ever known… I have begged God to allow him to stay here — whole and healthy. Thank you for praying with me and believing for me even when my faith was tired and weak.”
One of Pierce’s former managers set up an online fundraiser for Chonda and her family, which has raised more than $50,000.
“Chonda Pierce has brought laughter to our lives for so many years in spite of all of the tragedy in her own life,” the donation site says. “Let’s now return the gift by helping lighten her financial load in this heartbreaking time of the loss of her sweet husband, David W. Pierce.”
The site explains that funds will go toward funeral expenses, medical bills and lost income for this season.
Pierce has been open about her testimony of enduring abuse, depression and the death of two sisters, which she has used to heal hearts through laughter for more than 20 years. She was recently named the top certified female comedian by the Recording Industry Association of America for having sold more comedy DVDs than any other comedian—secular or Christian.
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