Lennis Washington: How Did Denzel Washington’s Mother Die?

Lennis Washington is the mother of Denzel Washington. Lennis’ son Denzel is an actor, producer and director. As an actor, he has appeared in St. Elsewhere, Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, Philadelphia, American Gangster, Unstoppable, Safe House, and others. He served as the producer of films including Antwone Fisher, The Book of Eli, and The Equalizer.

Lennis Washington: Bio Summary

Who Is Denzel Washington’s Mother, Lennis Washington?

Lennis “Lynne” Washington was born on 4 April 1924, in Camilla, Mitchell County, Georgia, USA. She was the daughter of Tillman Lowe and Eliza Jackson. Her siblings are Morris Lowe, Thelma (Lowe) Frazier, Catherine (Lowe) Williams, Clinton Don Lowe, Mary Jo Lowe, and Westley Green Lowe. She grew up in Harlem.

Lennis Washington was two years old at the time she and her family left Georgia for a “better life in the north as part of the Great Migration”, per sources. The family made a brief stop in Baltimore for a few years before settling in Harlem, New York. Lennis had studied at New York City public schools.

Lennis Washington attended and graduated from Julia Richmond High School in the year 1942. She was a religious woman. She attended the Kelly Temple Church of God In Christ, where she was an active member and traveled the country in the youth choir Four and One Believers. She was a businesswoman, working as a beautician.

Lennis was a beauty parlor owner and operator. She opened several salons in Mount Vernon and after over 50 years in Mount Vernon, she retired and moved to Rockville Maryland. She joined Jerusalem-Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church in Rockville. She married Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia whom she is said to have met in 1949.

Denzel Sr. was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department and worked at a local S. Klein department store. Lennis and Denzel Sr’s marriage produced three children. Their children are Denzel Washington, Lorice Washington, and David Washington.

The then-couple raised their three children in Mount Vernon, New York. Per reports, Lennis and Denzel Sr briefly raised two foster children Douglas and Vanessa (Cookie) Smith. Lennis and Denzel Sr got divorced in the year 1968. After the divorce, Denzel Sr was rarely around. His relationship with his children deteriorated.

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Lennis Washington is said to have been left to raise her children as a single mother. Lennis decided to send her son Denzel Hayes Washington Jr to a private school in New York hoping to keep him out of trouble. Denzel Jr would later say: “When I was 14, my mother sent me away to private school in upstate New York, and that decision changed my life, because I wouldn’t have survived in the direction I was going.”

“The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them. I had that Pentecostal foundation and a mother who used to say, ‘Son, you never know who’s praying for you.’ So maybe it wasn’t my fate to fall into those traps.”

Lennis Washington’s son Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. became an actor, producer, and director. Lennis was a very supportive mother. Her son Denzel Jr has revealed that he is more like his mother. “She is the toughest woman.” He added that Lennis “never gave up on him.”

“I messed up in school so much they were sending me home, but my mother sent me right back!,” Denzel Jr recalled. Denzel Jr has given credit to his mother for her contribution to who he is today. He has disclosed that his mother was the greatest influence in his life. Lennis appeared as Mrs. Johnson in Malcolm X.

How Did Denzel Washington’s Mother Die?

Lennis Washington passed away on 14 June 2021, at age 97, in Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The cause of her death is unknown. Following the death of Lennis, her son Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. opened up about losing his mother, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“A mother is a son’s first true love. A son, especially that first son, is a mother’s last true love,” Denzel Jr said. “She was there for everything, and she went home.” According to Denzel Jr, he didn’t cry at his mother’s funeral. “Why do you think?” Stephen Colbert, the host asked. “I guess I saved it up for you!,” Denzel Jr joked.

ALSO, READ: Lorice Washington: Facts About The Sister Of Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. added: “I don’t know if I was her favorite, I gave her the hardest time. I can tell you that.” Lennis Washington was buried at Parklawn Memorial Park and Menorah Gardens, Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, according to Findagrave.

Lennis is survived by her sister Mary McElroy; three children, Lorice Washington, Denzel Washington, Jr., and David Washington and their spouses; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.