Christy Knowings, the Nickelodeon sketch comedy performer best remembered for her scene-stealing turns alongside Amanda Bynes and Kenan Thompson on "All That," has died at 46, according to her father, Charles Dunn, who confirmed her death to ABC News on Friday.
Dunn told the Los Angeles Times that Knowings died Tuesday in Long Beach, California, days after suffering a severe asthma attack on Aug. 7 that led to cardiac arrest. She had been on life support in the days that followed before she died, the Times reported.
Knowings joined "All That" in 1997 as a teenager trying to break into show business, and she spent three seasons on the show through 2000 alongside a cast that included Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Kel Mitchell, Nick Cannon, Josh Server, Lori Beth Denberg and Gabriel Iglesias. She impressed Nickelodeon casting directors with a range of characters and accents she had been developing since she was 4 years old, she told the Pop Culture With Pat podcast.
"I filmed a bunch of different characters, and then a week after that, producers and writers from 'All That' flew out from Hollywood to come see me in New York, and that's all she wrote," Knowings said in a 2019 interview cited by the Los Angeles Times. "Five minutes later, I was asked if I wanted to move to California."
A Bronx Native Making Her Mark
Born Christy Lorraine Knowings on Feb. 25, 1980, in the Bronx, she attended Manhattan's Professional Performing Arts School and began honing character work from an early age. "I did impersonations, but my thing was really creating new characters, and the characters would stem from different dialects," she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I was pretty good ... Even if I had a small role playing a judge at a science fair, I would still try and make that character stand out by using a different accent or doing something a little dangerous. Didn't always work! But most of the time it did."
One of her signature bits was a character named Gloria Bankhead, an over-the-top Martha Stewart type she introduced in Season 6. "I just remember being on set and being her all-day long. Everybody loved it!" she told Bustle in 2019, according to ABC News.
Knowings, who identified as Native American Afro-Latina, also spoke about how the show's diverse cast shaped its legacy. "I'm from the Bronx and Native American Afro-Latina, so I was able to bring so much to the table. We would bring cultural nuances and it was celebrated," she told Bustle. "'All That' showcased the unity that we all wanted, needed and still need in a very humorous way."
The Bond With Amanda Bynes
Among her most memorable pairings was her recurring "Whateverrr!" sketch with Amanda Bynes, a bit Knowings recalled fondly in her 2019 conversation with Bustle. "With Amanda and I doing 'Whateverrr!' you didn't see a Black girl and a white girl, you just saw these two insane girls who loved the same guys," she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We both loved Leonardo DiCaprio and we both loved Kobe Bryant! I think we pushed a lot of boundaries." Knowings added that Black viewers from that era later told her they paid close attention to her presence on the show. "I was there to represent them in a way and I didn't even realize it at the time because social media was not a thing," she said.
After departing "All That" in 2000, Knowings appeared in three episodes of "Sesame Street" in twin-themed sketches alongside her real-life twin brother, Chris Knowings, who was also a cast member on the children's program. Sesame Workshop paid tribute to her on social media, writing, "Sesame Workshop mourns the loss of Christy Knowings, who appeared on Sesame Street alongside her brother, cast member Chris Knowings. Our deepest condolences go out to Chris and his family."
Tributes Pour In From Former Castmates
News of Knowings' death prompted an outpouring from her "All That" family. Kenan Thompson, now a longtime "Saturday Night Live" cast member, wrote on Instagram, "Man this one hit hard!!! Rest well Christy!!! Never could have imagined this day!! Sending so much love to her family!! She was a real one and one of the funniest people out here!!! Gonna miss you buddy!!!"
Kel Mitchell called Knowings "truly one of a kind" in his own Instagram tribute. "So naturally funny, incredibly talented, and fearless when it came to comedy," he wrote. "She had a gift for creating characters that were big, memorable, and completely her own. I'll always be grateful for the laughs, the memories, and the time we shared as part of the All That family." He added, "Christy, thank you for sharing your incredible gift with all of us. Your talent, your characters, and the joy you brought to so many will never be forgotten."
Former castmate Alisa Reyes described Knowings as "not only an immensely talented actress, singer, and artist, but she was also a star seed, a light worker, and a true uplifter of humanity," adding that "her frequency and vibration are now soaring into the ethers." Lisa Foiles, who joined "All That" in a later season, wrote on Facebook that Knowings was "mesmerizing" to watch. "I studied her facial expressions, her commitment to a bit, her talent for comedy way beyond her years," Foiles wrote. "She was a comedic icon to me, and when I finally got to meet her, her kindness matched her talent."
Al Hill, who managed Knowings, told ABC News she was "a multi talented lady" who was "always creating" whether through singing, acting or dancing, and was "always professional and dedicated to her work."
Knowings is survived by her father, Charles Dunn; her twin brother, Chris Knowings; her mother, Rénee Knowings Dunn; and siblings Charles Dunn Jr., Ashley Dunn Ledger, Yavonka Vega, Tamea Dunn and Lee Elder, according to the Los Angeles Times.
