NeNe Leakes, 53, paid tribute to her husband Gregg, after his death from colon cancer at 66 on Thursday September 2 with a throwback video of the pair dancing to the song “It Would Be You” by Trey Songz. NeNe posted the video on Instagram one day after Gregg passed away on Wednesday September 1.
The video showed the pair lovingly dancing together, as the romantic ballad played. Gregg was wearing a white button-down and a lime-green baseball cap, while NeNe sported a black Gucci t-shirt with gold stars all over it. NeNe captioned the video with a series of heart and broken-heart emojis. NeNe was married to Gregg twice. The pair split in 2010 and finalized their divorce in 2011, via Access Atlanta. Shortly after, the pair reconciled, and they got married again in 2013, and they’ve been together ever since.
Before he’d passed away, NeNe had shared a cryptic Instagram post, where she showed that the family may have been expecting her husband’s death. The photo simply had the word “Broken” written out, along with the praying hands and broken heart emojis.
Gregg’s death was confirmed by his publicist and family friend Ernest Dukes on Wednesday. “Today the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart,” he said in a statement to HollywoodLife. “After a long battle with cancer, Gregg Leakes has passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by all of his children, very close loved ones and wife Nene Leakes. We ask that you pray for peace and strength over their family & allow them to mourn in private during this very very difficult time.” Following his death, many Real Housewives stars mourned his loss with posts on social media.
This was Gregg’s second battle with stage 3 colon cancer. He’d beaten it after six months of chemotherapy back in 2019, but it unfortunately returned in June 2021. At the time, NeNe described the battle as “difficult” and “different” during an Instagram Live session. “He’s super small. If you’ve ever been around somebody who’s had cancer before, he’s different. He’s different,” she said. NeNe and Gregg’s son Brentt, 22, also shared a heartbreaking message with fans amid his dad’s cancer battle. He told followers to cherish their time with loved ones. “Spend time with your loved ones every chance you get. Time is so valuable dog,” he wrote in an Instagram Story, via The Shade Room. “I’m learning the hard way, watching my dad fight every day. Please go create memories with ya people.”