Obi Ndefo, the actor best known for playing Bodie Wells on “Dawson’s Creek,” has died. He was 51 years old. No cause of death was given.
Ndefo’s death comes 10 years after he lost both his legs in a hit-and-run accident. The actor had left a yoga class and visited Erewhon Market on his way home just before he was hit.
Ndefo’s death was confirmed by his sister on Facebook. Nkem Ndefo captioned a photo of herself and her brother, “Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother and knowing he’s finally at peace .”
Ndefo appeared on 10 episodes of “Dawson’s Creek” as the boyfriend of Joey Potter’s older sister, Bessie (played by Nina Repeta). His credits also include “Stargate SG-1,” “Angel,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Crossing Jordan,” “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
In a February 2020 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ndefo emphasized that he tried to stay positive whenever possible after being hit in a hit-and-run collision, costing him both of his legs. “This is just so horrendous what happened to me, why would I compound this by feeling bad about it?” he explained.
Ndefo eventually returned to teaching yoga to children and pitched a series titled “Juice Bar,” which the author described as “a gently satirical, playful look at a natural-foods emporium, much like Obi’s beloved Erewhon but with a twist of Willy Wonka, in which harried city people with a host of modern woes come in search of cures of all kinds, from magic herbal potions to every kind of New Age healing.”
“Dawson’s” costar Mary Margaret Humes posted a tribute to Ndefo on Instagram. “These words don’t come easy 💔It’s hard for me to conceive that you have left us, my dear friend,” she wrote. “You always were and always will be a bright shining light. What an example of pure unfiltered love and tenacity you set as you faced life’s challenges of recent. I will cherish all of our messages of love and support to each other over the past few years. Rest in peace sweet warrior. 🙏🕊️❤️💫.”
Obi Ndefo was born on Oct. 29, 1972. He graduated from Yale University’s drama school and was the founder of the L.A. non-profit Arts Alliance for Humanity.
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