Chicago Fire's DuShon Monique Brown Dead at the Age of 49

Sad news for Chicago Fire fans: DuShon Monique Brown, who plays Chief Boden’s no-nonsense assistant Connie on the long-running NBC drama, has died at the age of 49.

Brown passed away on Friday at Chicago’s St. James Olympia Field Hospital, according to the Chicago Tribune. The cause of death is still unknown.

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She joined the Chicago Fire cast on a recurring basis during the show’s freshman season in 2012, going on to play the memorably gruff Connie in a total of 54 episodes — including this week’s two-part event. Brown was also a longtime Chicago theater actor who once led the drama program at a local high school. Her other TV credits include a 13-episode stint on Fox’s Prison Break as infirmary nurse Katie Welch, along with guest spots on Empire, Shameless, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams and Boss.

“The Chicago Fire family is devastated to lose one of its own,” executive producer Dick Wolf told the Tribune in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with DuShon’s family, and we will all miss her.”

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