Yolonda E. Lawrence Dies at 56: Celebrating the Quiet Power Behind ‘Empire,’ ‘Riverdale,’ and ‘The Good Wife’

By Shalena Speaks | October 16, 2025

Hollywood has lost one of its most quietly powerful voices.Yolonda E. Lawrence, a veteran television writer and producer whose credits include Empire, Riverdale, and The Good Wife, has died at the age of 56 in Los Angeles. The news was confirmed by her family earlier this week.

While the exact cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, tributes from across the television community poured in, remembering Lawrence as a storyteller who brought both heart and heat to every project she touched.

A Creative Force Behind the Scenes

For years, Yolonda Lawrence moved with intention through Hollywood’s ever-shifting landscape. A proud graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, she broke into the industry in the early 2000s, first working behind the camera in production roles before stepping fully into the writers’ room.

Her first big break came on CBS’s Shark (2006), but it was her work on The Good Wife that established her as a sharp, layered writer capable of balancing legal tension with human emotion. From there, she became one of the few Black women writing and producing for some of TV’s biggest hits, lending her voice to Empire, Riverdale, Bel-Air, The First Lady, and Sistas.

On Empire, she rose to executive producer status, helping guide one of the most culturally defining shows of the 2010s. She even played a major role in developing a planned Empire spinoff centered on Taraji P. Henson’s unforgettable character Cookie Lyon — a project that many fans still wish had made it to air.

Her Work Spoke for Women, for Black Voices, and for Truth

What made Yolonda’s writing stand out was its authenticity. She understood character — especially complex women — in a way that felt lived-in and real. Whether she was shaping the glitz and grit of Empire or the moody moral questions of Riverdale, her work often explored power, ambition, and identity through a distinctly Black, female lens.

In an industry where women — particularly women of color — still fight to be heard in writers’ rooms, Yolonda Lawrence didn’t just take up space; she created space.

Colleagues Remember a Mentor and Friend

According to Deadline and The Wrap, those who worked alongside her remember her not just for her professional excellence but for her humanity. She was known for mentoring up-and-coming writers, especially young Black creatives trying to find their footing in a business that often overlooks them.

“She was that person who wanted everyone in the room to win,” one former colleague told The Wrap. “Even when the pressure was on, she carried grace.”

Her legacy lives on not only in the scripts she left behind but also in the lives of those she lifted along the way.

Family, Legacy, and Love

Lawrence is survived by her mother Barbara Simon and siblings Ayana Simon and Craig Simon. Her family has requested privacy as they plan a memorial service in Los Angeles to celebrate her life and career.

She may not have been a household name, but her fingerprints are all over some of the most influential television of the past two decades. Through every episode she touched, Yolonda Lawrence reminded audiences that storytelling is power — and that the voices behind the camera matter just as much as those in front of it.

Rest in Power, Yolonda E. Lawrence.

Your pen changed the page for so many of us.

Sources:

• Deadline: “Yolonda E. Lawrence Dies: ‘Empire’, ‘Riverdale’, ‘The Good Wife’ Writer-Producer Was 56.”

• The Wrap: “TV Writer-Producer Yolonda Lawrence, Known for ‘Empire’ and ‘Riverdale,’ Dies at 56.”