Before she became one of television’s most recognizable personalities, Sheryl Underwood experienced a devastating personal tragedy that changed her life forever. The comedian and The Talk co-host lost her husband, Michael Sparkman, in tragic circumstances back in 1990. Underwood has been very open over the years about the emotional trauma, his depression, and the pain that lasted long after his death. 

Years later, she recently shared the heartbreaking details of the difficult time that led to his death. 

Comedian Sheryl Underwood was on the dais for the live Netflix The Roast of Kevin Hart on Sunday. She has often spoken of the personal tragedy that changed her life, especially the tragic loss of her husband, Michael Sparkman. Underwood was married to chef Michael Sparkman from 1987 until his suicide in 1990. 

She is always been open about his battles with depression. The television host said that the couple went through hard years as he fought deteriorating mental health issues, including an earlier overdose attempt before his death. For years, Underwood refused to recognize that her husband had committed suicide. However, in 2016, she opened up about it. She revealed that she dated Sparkman for seven years before tying the knot.

The Talk host also said that he had suffered from clinical depression and had overdosed in the past.

“I’ll never forget it,” she told PEOPLE in 2016, reliving the incident, “I made him a German chocolate cake that morning, and I said, ‘Drop the bills in the mailbox, and I’ll see you when you get home.’ It’s the most painful thing in the world because he is not coming back.”

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Underwood also began opening up about another deeply personal journey- her dramatic weight loss transformation after facing serious health concerns. 

Sheryl Underwood lost over 100 pounds by 2024, going from over 250 lbs to about 140-150 lbs by using Wegovy for appetite suppression, eating cleaner, drinking more water, and working out regularly. She confessed that a lifestyle change was important due to health scares, including pre-diabetes and hypertension. 

"I feel amazing when I look at the lab work: normal, normal, normal, work on this," Underwood, who was pre-diabetic and suffering from high blood pressure, said, "And then I'll call my doctors: 'What do I need to work on?' " 

It has been decades since Michael Sparkman’s death, but the loss remains one of the most painful chapters of Sheryl Underwood’s life. She has helped raise awareness surrounding mental health, grief, and healing by sharing his experience with depression and the emotional toll his suicide took on her. 

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What are your thoughts on Sheryl Underwood’s emotional revelations about her husband and her inspiring health transformation? Let us know in the comments.