They may have feuded like cats and dogs on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but Kenya Moore and NeNe Leakes know some things are bigger than petty reality TV drama. Leakes’ husband, Gregg Leakes, unfortunately passed away on September 1 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer at age 66. Despite her ongoing rivalry with NeNe, Moore was invited to his memorial earlier this past week and has since reflected on why she respected him.
After headlining the show off and on since its inception, NeNe Leakes ultimately left Real Housewives of Atlanta for good in 2020. But she invited several of her old castmates to Gregg Leakes' celebration of life, including Cynthia Bailey, Kenya Moore, Eva Marcille, Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams. Many fans were surprised to see Moore there, given that it almost got physical between her and NeNe in their last Bravo season. But in an interview with ET Online, Moore explained how respect factored into her decision to attend:
I was there to support. Gregg never, ever treated me any differently whether I was feuding with NeNe [Leakes] or not. And for that, I respected him so much, and he was just a kind, gentle, caring, supportive man, and she was really lucky to have him. Honestly, he is one of the nicest men I ever met in my life. To be there was a no-brainer.
The news of Gregg Leakes’ death was a blow to Bravo fans who came to respect him just as Kenya Moore did on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. In NeNe Leakes’ final seasons, we saw their marriage struggle, as Gregg endeavored to fight his cancer through any means necessary, even holistic methods. He was reportedly in remission for some time, but the cancer sadly came back earlier this year.
Nevertheless, NeNe Leakes held a memorial for her husband of over 20 years in the only way she knows how: over-the-top and in style. Social media photos from attendees (via Bravo) show that Gregg Leakes was honored by countless friends and family members, in happy remembrance of who he was in life. The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kenya Moore, who will star in the upcoming Dancing with the Stars season, further shared:
I flew in for the memorial, the repass. I think it was everything she probably wanted it to be because people were happy, and I think he would've wanted people to be happy because his life was so full and so beautiful and he was such a great person. So even though it was hard for me to be there, it seemed like she got what she wanted, for people to smile, and I think he would've been happy about that.
Gregg Leakes is survived by his wife NeNe Leakes and their 22-year-old son Brentt. We here at CinemaBlend continue to offer our condolences to the family at this time.
