Most people searching for LaVerne Shepherd are trying to learn about the woman behind one of television’s best-known comedians and hosts. LaVerne Shepherd was the mother of Sherri Shepherd, the actress, comedian, author, and former co-host of The View. She was never a public figure herself, and much of her life was private.
What we do know comes mostly from Sherri, who has talked openly over the years about her childhood, her family’s religion, and her mother’s early death from diabetes. Those memories show a mother whose life, and whose loss, had a lasting effect on her daughter.
One note before we start: public information about LaVerne Shepherd is limited. This article sticks to what Sherri and reliable outlets have shared, and it doesn’t fill the gaps with guesses.
Who Was LaVerne Shepherd?
LaVerne Shepherd is best known as Sherri Shepherd’s late mother. Sherri was born Sherri Evonne Shepherd on April 22, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, so LaVerne’s family life was centered in the Chicago area during Sherri’s early years.
LaVerne was married to Lawrence A. Shepherd, Sherri’s father. Together they raised three daughters, with Sherri as the eldest.
LaVerne never had a public career in entertainment, and no interviews with her are on record. Everything known about her today comes through her daughter’s memories, which are mostly about faith, family tension, health, and loss.
LaVerne Shepherd’s Family Background and Relationships
Marriage to Lawrence Shepherd
LaVerne and Lawrence Shepherd built their family in Chicago. Sherri has described her father as a hard worker who held down three jobs at one point to support the household.
Their marriage did not last. The couple divorced when Sherri was young. Sherri has said the split came from both religious and non-religious problems.
Raising Three Daughters
LaVerne was the mother of three girls. Sherri, the oldest, became famous. Her two younger sisters have stayed mostly out of public view, and their names aren’t widely reported in reliable sources.
The Family’s Faith
Religion is a central part of the Shepherd family story. When Sherri was a child, her parents became Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she was raised strictly in that faith.
In later interviews, Sherri said the religion put a deep strain on the family. She remembered being told to stop speaking to her father even though he still lived with them, after he was disfellowshipped for asking too many questions. She has said the family’s conflicts over religion helped lead to her parents’ divorce.
As an adult, Sherri left the Jehovah’s Witnesses and became an evangelical Christian. She has said that change came after her mother died.
LaVerne Shepherd’s Health and Early Death
The fact most often reported about LaVerne Shepherd is how she died. She passed away from complications of diabetes, and Sherri has said publicly that her mother was only 41.
Sources differ slightly on the exact timing. Wikipedia lists her death in 1991, when Sherri was about 23. Other accounts place it earlier in Sherri’s life. Either way, Sherri lost her mother as a young adult, at an age when many people are just starting their own lives.
Sherri has also described growing up surrounded by the effects of diabetes. She has said she was used to seeing relatives who had lost their sight or a limb to the disease. LaVerne’s death was part of that larger family pattern, not a single isolated loss.
How LaVerne Shepherd Shaped Sherri Shepherd’s Life and Career
A Lesson Sherri Carried Forward
LaVerne’s death later took on new meaning when Sherri was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes herself. Both of Sherri’s sisters have also been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which shows how strongly the condition runs in the family.
Instead of keeping it private, Sherri made her diagnosis part of her public work. In 2013, she published Plan D: How to Lose Weight and Beat Diabetes (Even If You Don’t Have It), written with Billie Fitzpatrick. She has often used her mother’s story to urge people to take their health seriously, especially women and people in communities heavily affected by diabetes.
That may be LaVerne Shepherd’s clearest legacy. Her daughter turned a painful family history into a public message about awareness and prevention.
Sherri’s Career at a Glance
To understand why people search for LaVerne Shepherd, it helps to know how far her daughter went. Sherri Shepherd’s career includes:
- Early TV acting: Her first TV role was in the WB sitcom Cleghorne! (1995). She later appeared on The Jamie Foxx Show and played Ramona on Less than Perfect (2002–2006).
- Notable roles: Angie Jordan on 30 Rock and Anne Flatch on Trial & Error.
- The View: She co-hosted the ABC talk show from 2007 to 2014 and won a Daytime Emmy in 2009.
- Sherri: Her own syndicated daytime talk show, launched in 2022. Reports in February 2026 said the show had been canceled after four seasons.
Sherri has often credited her difficult upbringing, including her family’s religious conflicts and her mother’s death, with shaping her humor and her openness.
LaVerne Shepherd Family Table
| Relation | Name | Known Details |
|---|---|---|
| Self | LaVerne Shepherd | Mother of Sherri Shepherd; died from complications of diabetes (Sherri has said at age 41) |
| Spouse | Lawrence A. Shepherd | Sherri’s father; the couple later divorced |
| Daughter | Sherri Shepherd | Born April 22, 1967, in Chicago; actress, comedian, author, TV host |
| Daughters | Two younger daughters | Sherri’s sisters; mostly private; both reportedly have type 2 diabetes |
| Grandson | Jeffrey | Sherri’s son with ex-husband Jeff Tarpley, born 2005 |
The Personal Side of LaVerne Shepherd’s Story
It’s easy to reduce LaVerne Shepherd to a footnote in a celebrity biography: “the mother who died young.” Her story is more human than that.
She raised three daughters inside a strict religious community, went through a divorce that Sherri has called painful for the whole family, and lived with a chronic illness that shortened her life. Many families will recognize those pressures.
Sherri hasn’t described her mother as a perfect figure, and she hasn’t described her as a villain. She has talked about her childhood honestly, including the hard parts, and has never turned her mother into a caricature. The result is a picture of an ordinary woman living through difficult circumstances, whose influence still shows in the choices her daughter makes.
Recent Public Visibility
LaVerne Shepherd’s name appears in public mostly when Sherri talks about her own health, her family history, or her faith. Each time Sherri discusses her diabetes journey, her mother’s story tends to come up again, often as the reason Sherri changed her habits.
There are no separate public records, interviews, or media appearances centered on LaVerne herself. Any website claiming detailed facts such as an exact birth date, a career, or private family details should be treated with caution unless it cites a reliable source.
FAQs About LaVerne Shepherd
1. Who was LaVerne Shepherd?
LaVerne Shepherd was the mother of actress and TV host Sherri Shepherd. She was a private person, and most of what’s known about her comes from her daughter’s interviews and writing.
2. How did LaVerne Shepherd die?
She died from complications of diabetes. Sherri Shepherd has said her mother was 41 when she passed away.
3. When did LaVerne Shepherd die?
Wikipedia lists her death in 1991, when Sherri was in her early twenties. Some accounts differ on the exact timing.
4. Who was LaVerne Shepherd’s husband?
She was married to Lawrence A. Shepherd, Sherri’s father. The couple divorced when Sherri was young.
5. How many children did LaVerne Shepherd have?
She had three daughters. Sherri Shepherd is the eldest, and her two younger sisters have stayed out of the public eye.
6. Was LaVerne Shepherd a Jehovah’s Witness?
Yes. She and her husband became Jehovah’s Witnesses when Sherri was a child. Sherri later left the faith and became an evangelical Christian.
7. How did LaVerne Shepherd influence Sherri Shepherd?
Her early death from diabetes became a turning point in Sherri’s understanding of her own health. After her own type 2 diagnosis, Sherri wrote Plan D and became an outspoken advocate for diabetes awareness.
