Midwin Charles death: MSNBC and CNN legal analyst dies aged 47

Midwin Charles at the NAACP LDF 33rd National Equal Justice Awards Dinner in New York, November 2019 (Getty Images for NAACP LDF)
Midwin Charles at the NAACP LDF 33rd National Equal Justice Awards Dinner in New York, November 2019 (Getty Images for NAACP LDF)

Attorney Midwin Charles, a legal analyst for a number of cable news channels, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 47, her family announced in a statement.

“It is with a profoundly heavy heart and the deepest sadness that we announce the untimely passing of our beloved Midwin Charles,” a post on Ms Charles’ Twitter account reads.

The family did not provide a cause of death.

Ms Charles was a defence attorney and founder of her own firm, Midwin Charles & Associates.

She was a regular commentator on CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and Bloomberg TV.

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Ms Charles also provided commentary on live trials as a legal contributor for CNN’s In Session.

The family statement continues: “She was known to many as a legal commentator on television but to us she was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and cousin. Our lives are forever changed and we will miss her for a lifetime.”

Tributes have been paid by Ms Charles’ colleagues and friends in the media.

PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor wrote that her “Haitian sis” was “a brilliant mind and a beautiful person who worked so hard. Her voice and presence will be deeply missed.”

White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre posted that she had been hit hard by the loss of Ms Charles, adding: “Rest in Power Sis”.

MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle described her as “magnificent” and “a light, a force, and a brilliant mind”; and fellow anchor Jonathan Capehart called her a “terrific analyst and a kind soul”.

Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel of the Legal Defence Fund of the NAACP, wrote about her long friendship with Ms Charles dating back to the 1990s: “Even then she was a superstar. She called me mentor but truth is this self-titled ‘Haitian Sensation’ set the example of living life boldly w/ unabashed joy & ambition.”