Wendy Williams Suffers Heartbreaking Family Loss

Wendy Williams’ father, Thomas Williams, has died. He was 94.

The Wendy Williams Show star’s niece, journalist Alex Finnie, announced Thomas’ death on Instagram Sunday as her aunt, 61, continues to fight for her independence from a court-ordered guardianship under which she was placed in 2022.

Sharing photos of Thomas with his loved ones, including Wendy, over the years, Finnie began her tribute to her grandfather, “I’ll be loving you always.”

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“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I share — after 94 years of extraordinary love, strength, brilliance, and wisdom, my grandfather Thomas D. Williams has passed,” she continued. “I know he is in heaven with Nana, watching over our family and continuing to guide us as he always has.”

“My grandfather was truly a man of great intellect — an author, educator and keeper of historical facts,” she continued. “Papa poured into both family and community. I miss him tremendously. I’m a little lost for words right now, but I love you endlessly Papa. Give Nana a kiss for me.”

Thomas’ wife, Shirley Williams, died in 2020 at the age of 85. Wendy announced the news at the time on her talk show, saying that her mother had died “beautifully and peacefully.”

Wendy was last photographed with her father in February 2025 as he marked his 94th birthday. Prior to the celebration, Wendy said on a visit to The Breakfast Club that she wasn’t sure she’d be permitted to visit her father for his birthday amid her guardianship.

“My dad is going to be 94 next month. I don’t know if I’m able to fly to Miami to say happy birthday to my dad,” Wendy said at the time, revealing that she was no longer in control of her own travel plans. “I’m exhausted thinking about what if I can’t see my dad for his birthday. At 94, the day after that is not promised. It’s not promised.”

Wendy was placed under a guardianship in 2022 amid claims that she was cognitively incapacitated and the talk show star was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023.

Wendy has repeatedly denied claims that she is impaired and is embroiled in a legal battle to dissolve her guardianship. In August 2025, the guardianship was upheld after a court-ordered medical evaluation.