Gabrielle Union's father dies after yearslong struggle with dementia

CelebrityGabrielle Union's father dies after yearslong struggle with dementiaThe actor shared a heartbreaking tribute honoring her father, Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr., while describing the "brutal" experience of dementia.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Actress Gabrielle Union, her father Sylvester "Cully" Union, and her stepmother Chris Union in Los Angeles in 2004.Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 5, 2026, 12:20 PM EDTBy Angela YangGabrielle Union's father has died at 81 after a battle with dementia, the actress shared in a tribute to Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr. In a lengthy social media post on Saturday, Union honored her father while describing the pain of gradually losing a loved one to the disease. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. "It's bewildering to feel relief that the pain has ended, but profound heartbreak at the finality of his time, " She wrote on Instagram."First it’s repeating words or forgetting little things here or there, then BOOM, he can’t swallow or walk. The them that you know gets smaller and smaller," Union wrote. "You hold out hope for sustained eye contact or a smile; even a hand squeeze can make you feel like they could come back to you 'normal' at any second."The "Bring It On" and "Bad Boys II" star reflected that the disease was "brutal and it’s what he experienced, but it wasn’t who he was."Union has been publicly candid about her father's yearslong journey with dementia. He was placed in memory care in 2023, as she noted in a birthday tribute posted that year. "This process has been extremely hard on our family, with a few really painful chapters," she wrote in November 2023. "That’s why it brought tears to everyone’s eyes, watching my party loving, Crown drinking, smart ass Dad return in full form for a few hours, it was the best gift we could’ve all received."And for his 80th birthday, Un...