Photo: Midwin Charles on Instagram
A beautiful soul and sharp legal mind gone far too soon.
By Arianna Jeret — Written on Apr 09, 2021
Midwin Charles, the popular attorney and legal analyst often seen on top notch outlets CNN, MSNBC and many more, passed away suddenly on April 6, 2021. She was just 47 years old.
Given her relatively young age, seemingly robust health and lack of details disclosed by her family in their public announcement of her death, it's hard for anyone learning the tragic news of her passing not to naturally wonder what happened.
How did Midwin Charles die?
The statement issued by her family through posts to Charles's Twitter and Instagram accounts on the evening of April 6 reads simply:
"It is with a profoundly heavy heart and the deepest sadness that we announce the untimely passing of our beloved Midwin Charles. She was known to many as a legal commentator on television but to us she was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, niece and cousin. Our lives are forever changed and we will miss her for a lifetime.
"The family thanks you in advance for your love and prayers. Please allow the family time to grieve."
No information regarding her cause of death was mentioned, nor has it been shared with any media outlets as of this time.
With nothing else to go on but whatever breadcrumbs Charles herself may have unwittingly shared In the days and weeks prior to her passing, people following her social media accounts have begun speculating about the possibility that Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine may have played a role in her death.
On the morning of March 1, 2021, Charles, an avid user of Twitter, shared the news that she'd just received her first dose of the vaccine.
"Just got vaccinated (qualified because of my asthma) at a FEMA center," she wrote. "Everyone at the site is in uniform. It’s good to see our service men and women! Process was organized, efficient, and everyone is kind and in a good mood. Let’s do this!"
Later that afternoon, she shared that she was experiencing a bit of soreness at the site of the injection, a fairly typical response to any vaccination.
And two days later, she reported that the pain was gone.
Along the way, she also shared that she'd also experienced some mild fatigue.
And when asked by someone in her Instagram comments if she's experienced any side effects, she answered, "A tiny bit of shortness of breath but that passed."
Photo: Twitter
Over the next few weeks, Charles continued her usual social media routine, posting on each platform almost daily, and often several times each day.
Both her Instagram and Twitter feeds offer a mix of political, legal and social justice-related commentary, vaccination advocacy, glamorous photos, and joyful displays of personal strength and health.
But on Friday, March 19, her posts to Instagram came to an abrupt halt with her announcement that she wouldn't be hosting her weekly happy hour on Instagram live.
"Hey guys!" Charles posted, "Sadly, happy hour tonight is canceled. I'm not feeling well. See you next Friday."
She continued posting on Twitter over the next several days, but her tweets end following her share of a post about the Colorado shootings sent from her iPhone on the morning of March 24.
The only post to follow on either of her accounts was the statement announcing the news of her death nearly two weeks later.
The comments sections on that post, as well as on the posts she shared regarding her vaccination status are now filled with debate over the role Pfizer's vaccine may or may not have played in her unexpected passing.
Photo: Instagram
While some outlets are already painting any mention of a potential link between the and Charles's death an "anti-vax conspiracy theory," the truth is that we still have nothing but circumstantial evidence pointing in either direction,
Charles had not posted anything saying she had received her second dose of the vaccine, which she would have been due for on or around March 22, which would have been the recommended 21 days after receiving the first shot.
And though there is little data available regarding Covid-19 vaccine related deaths, an update from the CDC titled "First Month of COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring — United States, December 14, 2020–January 13, 2021" states that the few deaths reported among the study's participants "occurred 0–20 days after vaccination (median = 2 days)," which would place the date on which Charles stated she was feeling unwell within the realm of at least somewhat plausible correlation.
It is also true that correlation does not equal causation, so no one should jump to conclusions regarding any of the above.
Rumors of a Car Accident
In addition to the debate surrounding the possible role of her recent vaccination, news has been spreading that Charles was instead involved in a fatal car accident.
One Instagram user with no name or profile picture and only four followers cut into a few debates in the comments, saying "she was in a car accident her cousin reported what happened."
Photo: Instagram
However, a tweet posted by her friend, writer, lawyer and radio host Dean Obeidallah, seems to contradict that narrative.
"Heartbroken my friend Midwin Charles has passed," he wrote. "I literally emailed her 2 days ago wishing her a speedy recovery, telling her I 'miss chatting with you' on my show. She responded but never shared how serious the illness was. I will always remember her as a kind, beautiful person."
For the time being, the only thing any of us can know for sure is that Midwin Charles is gone too soon and her family should be given their requested peace and time in which to mourn.
Deputy Editor Arianna Jeret, MA/MSW, has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, MSN, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Find her on Twitter and Instagram for more.