Tragic news broke last week with the report that former ER actress Vanessa Marquez had been killed. She played Nurse Wendy Goldman in the early years of NBC's hit medical drama, and she was a memorable presence in a number of episodes. Fans everywhere expressed their sadness at her death on social media, and they're not the only ones. Former ER star Eriq La Salle, who played Dr. Peter Benton, shared some kind words about Marquez in the wake of her death:
Despite Vanessa Marquez appearing in her final ER episode more than 20 years ago, Eriq La Salle clearly remembers her well and considers her a part of the ER family. His condolences via tweet are nice to see in the wake of her death, and his comment of "May she rest in eternal peace" is truly touching. Her death is no less tragic for the kind words, but we can hope that her loved ones are able to take some comfort from his words.
Interestingly, Eriq La Salle made no mention of the controversial nature of Vanessa Marquez's death that has so many especially upset about what happened. Marquez was killed after a confrontation with police at her home in Pasadena, California. The shooting itself was first reported on August 30, and that Marquez was the victim was not confirmed until August 31 with a tweet courtesy of the LA County Sheriff's department.
The deadly shooting happened after Vanessa Marquez's landlord called the authorities for a welfare check, and this was reportedly not the first time. Described as "gravely disabled" by a representative of L.A. Sheriff's homicide bureau, Marquez had been dealing with seizures and other medical problems, and she pulled out a BB gun that apparently resembled a regular handgun. An officer opened fire, and Marquez was ultimately pronounced dead at a hospital in the aftermath of the shooting.
Although Eriq La Salle seems to remember Vanessa Marquez fondly, Marquez herself shared some unfortunate experiences from her time working on ER, even if none of the issues she reported had nothing to do with La Salle. In October 2017, Marquez took to twitter to accuse actor and former ER costar George Clooney of harassment, stating that she was blacklisted in showbiz for 25 years due to her decision to speak up about it. Further tweets alleged that WB and NBC were involved in the blacklisting as well as Clooney.
If you want to see Vanessa Marquez as Nurse Wendy Goldman, you can find her seasons (and the expensive full series) streaming on Hulu. For some additional streaming TV options, take a gander at our 2018 Netflix premiere guide and rundown of important 2018 Amazon Prime rundown. If you're in the market for more current viewing options, take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule.
