Lynette Hardaway, the conservative commentator known as Diamond who formed half of the pro-Donald Trump entertainment duo Diamond and Silk, has died at the age of 51.
Hardaway’s death was announced via the duo’s social media pages on Monday.
“The World just lost a True Angel and Warrior Patriot for Freedom, Love, and Humanity,” the announcement said, and included a link to donate to Hardaway’s memorial service.
Trump also mourned Hardaway in a Truth Social post, calling Hardaway’s death “Really bad news for Republicans and frankly, ALL America.
“There was no better TEAM anywhere, or at any time! Diamond’s death was totally unexpected, probably her big and precious HEART just plain gave out. Rest In Peace our Magnificent Diamond, you will be greatly missed!” he wrote.
Hardaway, along with her sister Rochelle Richardson, gained popularity in 2016 for their political commentary videos. Both longtime Democrats, they switched allegiance to support Trump’s presidency, catching the attention of Trump and other notable Republicans.
Trump campaigned with the duo, invited the pair to his 2017 inauguration, and even hosted the sisters in the Oval office.
Diamond and Silk were later hired by the Fox News streaming site, Fox Nation, but were subsequently cut from the network in 2020 after promoting Covid-19 conspiracy theories on air, reported NPR.
During the onset of the pandemic, the sisters falsely claimed that US death tolls were inflated to make Trump look bad, along with other falsehoods about the pandemic and vaccinations.
After being fired from Fox News, Diamond and Silk hosted their own show on the rightwing network Newsmax, and published a 2020 memoir detailing their upbringing, family history and connection to Trump.
The cause of Hardaway’s death has not been confirmed. She was hospitalized in November, with the sisters asking followers to pray. Rumours that she had contracted Covid were not confirmed, and the cause of her hospitalization was not announced. On her Newsmax show in December, Hardaway denied that she had ever contracted Covid, calling the claim “fake news”.
