Allen Payne: Why Did Fans Think He Was Dead?
There was some speculation that Allen Payne had passed away, but the House of Payne actor is alive.
Relax, folks. After going through a period in 2021 where it was reported he had died, actor Allen Payne is very much not, and reports of his demise were definitely premature. In fact, not only is Allen Payne still with the living, but he has also rejoined a television show that was considered long dead and buried.
CONFUSION ABOUT WHETHER ALLEN PAYNE WAS ALIVE OR DEAD. HE’S ALIVE
There had been reports in 2021 that Allen Payne had passed away. It started with a YouTube channel from Star News, and the video was titled, R.I.P It’s With Heavy Hearts We Report Sad Death Of ‘House of Payne’ Star Allen Payne Beloved One. Fans of the actor took immediate outrage at the title, claiming the actor had not died and was still with us.
The video has since been deleted, but if you listened to the report from Star News, what she reported on was Allen Payne’s career, never mentioning Payne dying. But the “beloved one” she did speak about was when Allen Payne lost his mother and decided to step away from acting.
It is easy to understand the confusion based on the video’s misleading title. Allen Payne’s death hoax (though it doesn’t truly appear to be one but instead a misleading title to get views) follows the many famous celebrity death hoaxes seen in the past.
Of those celebrities who were prematurely sent to their grave, we find Bob Dylan, Tanya Roberts, Drake, Paul McCartney, Alice Cooper, NBA star Rick Fox (he was thought to have been on board the helicopter when Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi died tragically), Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake (they supposedly died together in a car accident when they were dating), and even Will Ferrell, who was reported to have perished in a paragliding accident.
Thankfully, all these stars are still with us, as is Allen Payne.
ALLEN PAYNE WAS ON THE COSBY SHOW AND IN NEW JACK CITY
Allen Payne was born on July 7, 1968, in Harlem, New York. It took Payne some time before he got his career officially started, though. He was 21 years old when he got his first movie role in a small film called Rooftops.
The movie was led by actor Jason Gedrick, who at the time was trying to establish himself as a leading actor as he was coming off films like The Heavenly Kid, Iron Eagle, and Stacking.
Allen Payne got his big break the following year when he was picked up on a recurring role on the hit TV series The Cosby Show. He pulled down ten episodes on the series as Lance Rodman, Charmaine’s (Karen Malina White) boyfriend. His performance on the series did him well because in 1991, during his second season on The Cosby Show, Payne also grabbed a role in the feature film New Jack City.
New Jack City was notable for several reasons. It told the story of crime lord Nino Brown, portrayed by Wesley Snipes, as he rose to power while trying to avoid being brought down by a police detective, played by Ice-T.
New Jack City was Ice-T’s first big jump into feature films, as it was for Allen Payne. The film also was a big stepping stone for Snipes, who had recently been seen as Willie Mays Hayes in the baseball comedy, Major League.
Also of note from New Jack City is that it also starred Chris Rock. The comedian had already appeared in bit parts in earlier films, but New Jack City gave him a much bigger role. It was the first time that actor Mario Van Peebles found himself in the director’s chair.
He, too, played a big role in the movie as Stone, commander of the police operation, and Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club) was on board as Ice-T’s partner.
HE STARRED IN JASON’S LYRIC WITH JADA PINKETT SMITH
While New Jack City was a nice feather in Allen Payne’s cap, it was a feature film role three years later that got Payne most of his early recognition. The film was Jason’s Lyric, and Payne took on the lead role of Jason Alexander. The movie co-starred Jada Pinkett (now Pinkett-Smith of the infamous Oscar Awards debacle) as Lyric, Bokeem Woodbine, Eddie Griffin, and Forest Whitaker.
Jason’s Lyric tells the story of two brothers, Jason (Payne), the good one, and Joshua (Woodbine), the bad one. The story revolves around the brothers, both of whom have chosen different paths in their lives after dealing with a very traumatic childhood. Jason’s path becomes even more difficult after he meets Lyric and falls in love.
He then has to decide if he should continue to feel the responsibility toward his fractured family or follow his heart and be with Lyric. He will not be able to do both.
The Walking Dead (not the zombie series) came next for Allen Payne and it told the story in flashbacks of a small group of United States Marines who have returned home after their stint in the Vietnam War.
For the next decade or so, Allen Payne continued to get work. Most of his projects were of the feature film variety. He was seen in the Eddie Murphy film, Vampire in Brooklyn, and other films such as A Price Above Rubies, the George Clooney/Mark Wahlberg film The Perfect Storm, 30 Years to Life, Blue Hill Avenue, and Crossover. Payne also found time on a few TV series such as Malcolm & Eddie, All of Us, and CSI: NY.
HE STARRED IN TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE
One person who really appreciated what Allen Payne brought to the table was actor/writer/director Tyler Perry. This was none more evident when Perry brought Payne in to star in Perry’s new series, House of Payne.
The series tells the story of the Payne’s, a multigenerational family all living under one roof. The series is led by LaVan Davis, who played patriarch Curtis Booker T. Payne, and Cassi Davis plays Ella Williams-Payne.
The series focuses on C.J. Payne (Allen Payne) and his family as they move in with C.J.’s Uncle Curtis and Aunt Ella. As with most things created by Tyler Perry, the series had its elements of comedy and slapstick, though it did, from time to time touch on darker subjects like substance abuse and addiction.
The series initially aired from June 2006 through August 2012 on TBS and then was canceled by the studio. But in 2020, BET brought back the show and gave it a 7th season. Perry’s connection with that station made a lot of sense, and the show continued.
It’s currently in production on a tenth season with Allen Payne and the rest of the main cast set to reprise their roles.
ALLEN PAYNE LEFT ACTING AFTER HIS MOTHER DIED
When The House of Payne ended, so did Allen Payne’s career at the time. Payne’s career coming to a close was not because The House of Payne ended, but for a much more tragic reason. Allen Payne lost his mom in 2012 and it forced the actor to step back and take stock of life.
“After my mother died, I stepped away from acting,” Payne explained to Black Doctor. “I chose to look inward and find myself, and I think that’s important when you’re an actor. You spend so much time trying to work and being interpreted by fans, executives, and people in Hollywood, that you can lose a sense of yourself. You’ve got to get back to that.”
It wasn’t just a year or two that Allen Payne removed himself from Hollywood, but six full years. It wasn’t until 2018 when Payne stepped back in front of the camera to reprise his role as C.J. Payne in the spin-off series, The Paynes.
His three-episode arc led to Tyler Perry getting a reprieve on The House of Payne. So, after lying dormant for six years, Allen Payne got back up on the horse and so did The House of Payne. So far the series revival has returned for multiple.
ALLEN PAYNE IS NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
If you are hoping to keep up with the exploits of Allen Payne, unfortunately, he is making it difficult. Payne is intensely private with his life and, therefore, has no social media presence. You won’t see him on Twitter, nor will you see him on Instagram. This could change in the future but don’t bet on it.
