‘All That’ Star Dies From Asthma Attack: Christy Knowings Was 46

Christy Knowings, an actress who starred on three seasons of the Nickelodeon comedy series All That in the late ’90s, has reportedly died. She was 46.

TMZ reports that Knowings died following an asthma attack that caused brain damage. She had been hospitalized for four days until her family made the decision to remove her from life support, a family member told the news outlet.

“Rest in power, Chrissy,” Knowings’ aunt, Tyleah Joseph, wrote in a tribute on Facebook. She added that her niece was an “outstanding actress, comedian, twin sister, [and] an amazing daughter.”

Knowings’ manager, Al Hill, told Variety that “Christy was a multi-talented lady. Whether it was singing, acting, dancing, she was always creating. Always professional and dedicated to her work.”

Knowings joined All That in 1997, starring in memorable sketches such as “Whateverrr!” with Amanda Bynes, in which two boy-crazy girls have their own TV show.

“With Amanda and I doing ‘Whateverrr!’ you didn’t see a Black girl and a white girl, you just saw these two insane girls who loved the same guys,” Knowings told Bustle in 2019, as All That approached its 25th anniversary. “We both loved Leonardo DiCaprio and we both loved Kobe Bryant! I think we pushed a lot of boundaries.”

Knowings was a main cast member on All That for three seasons between 1997 and 2001, joining the cast alongside Leon Frierson and Danny Tamborelli for Season 4 after being first discovered on the pilot for a Rosie O’Donnell-produced sketch show called And Now This. She, Frierson and Tamborelli crossed over with original series stars Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server. The show later added comedians like Nick Cannon and Gabriel Iglesias.

Knowings later rejoined All That as a guest star in 2010.

Thompson paid tribute to Knowings on Facebook following her death. “Man this one hit hard!!!” he wrote. “Rest well Christy!!! Never could have imagined this day!! Sending so much love to her family!! She was a real one and one of the funniest people out here!!! Gonna miss you buddy!!!”

Following her years on All That, Knowings appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street opposite her twin brother Chris Knowings, who is a series regular on the program. Christy also released a folk song, “To the World,” in 2020.

In her Bustle interview, Christy praised All That for its diverse cast, saying it “made a huge difference because there were things that the writers just couldn’t write in … little nuances that they were not aware of, especially from myself and Kenan.”

“I’m from the Bronx and Native American Afro-Latina, so I was able to bring so much to the table,” she continued. “We would bring cultural nuances and it was celebrated. With ‘Inconvenience Store,’ there was a cultural aspect that people are more familiar with now, but back then they really weren’t.”