Upscale Media Group sends our deepest condolences to Gabrielle Union and her family. As we learned Saturday evening, her father, Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr., passed away Friday morning (April 3) at the age of 81. A man she described as perfectly imperfect, a devoted father, and someone who made it his business to look after everyone around him.
Gabrielle Union opens up about one of the most painful experiences of her life, watching her father’s decline from dementia and the emotional toll it takes on a family in real time. Her candid reflection joins a growing public conversation about a crisis that extends far beyond one family.
In a post shared to her Instagram on Saturday, April 4, Gabrielle shared about what watching her father’s battle with dementia actually looked like from the inside.
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“No matter how much you think you know about dementia, nothing prepares you for the painfully slow disappearing of your loved one,” she wrote. “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.”
Black families and other underserved communities face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia, yet remain the least likely to receive a timely diagnosis, be recruited into research, or have access to the care and support services they need.
At the 2025 American Black Film Festival in Miami, Gabrielle had already opened up publicly about the financial and emotional weight of supporting her father since he was placed in memory care in 2023. She was direct about what caregiving costs and what it requires.
“I don’t have the luxury of taking all the independent films that I want because I can’t afford to pay for my extended family in the way that they have grown accustomed to,” she said.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Sylvester Union served in the U.S. Army as a sergeant before building a career as a corporate executive. He was a man of discipline, routine, and an unshakeable loyalty to the people around him.
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In a Father’s Day post, she captured what their bond meant to her before words became harder to find. “As my Dad’s dementia progresses, I’m left with nothing but gratitude for what a great father I have and all the memories he still remembers.”
“It’s bewildering to feel relief that the pain has ended, but profound heartbreak at the finality of his time. I know I’m not the first or last Daddy’s girl to go through this, and I’m sending love and healing to anyone suffering the loss of a parent. I know his love is eternal and will find me in every realm.”
Kaavia James with her grandpa
Sergeant Sylvester “Cully” Union Jr., we thank you for your service. Rest well.
From right: Actress Gabrielle Union, her father Sylvester, her husband, 3x NBA champion and Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, and their daughter Kaavia James in 2025.
Photos credited to Gabrielle Union via Instagram and Facebook
