Ms. Minnie From 'Little Women: Atlanta' Tragically Passed Away in April of 2020

Since 2016, the cast of Lifetime's Little Women: Atlanta has been entertaining audiences with their drama, and the series has become one of the most popular offerings on the network. Only a handful of stars from the show appeared on every season, including Tiffany "Monie" Cashette, Amanda and Andrea Salinas, and Ashley "Minnie" Ross. 

Little Women: Atlanta has given life to a spinoff series, been the source of many popular memes, and it's given its stars tremendous platforms and careers. 

Unfortunately, tragedy has befallen the cast of Little Women: Atlanta, as it was announced that Ms. Minnie passed away on April 27, 2020 after a terrible accident. 

What happened to Ms. Minnie from Little Women: Atlanta? Read below for the tragic news of her passing, her representative's official statement, and how her co-stars are paying tribute.  

Ms. Minnie's representative confirmed on April 27, 2020 that the reality star had passed away from injuries resulting from a car accident. 

Though her team initially stated it was a hit and run car accident, the public later learned that Minnie's vehicle struck another one head-on. She was just 34 years old. 

"It is with profound sadness that we confirm on behalf of the family of Ashley Ross aka 'Ms. Minnie' of Little Women: Atlanta has succumbed to injuries from a tragic hit and run car accident today, April 27th at the age of 34," the statement read. "The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time."

Per People, Ms. Minnie's injuries occurred when the vehicle she was riding in collided with another on an Atlanta highway at around 11 p.m. on April 26.  

She was later taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she passed away after a nearly day-long fight. On the show, Ms. Minnie often served as the voice of reason for her co-stars. She was described as the "mama bear" of the group. 

The Chattanooga, Tenn. native worked as a hairstylist before becoming a reality star in 2016. She quickly became one of the show's biggest stars when she took on Shirlene Pearson aka Miss Juicy in Season 1 for spreading gossip.

Outside of the show, Ms. Minnie had worked on a podcast with co-star Monie, which ended once Monie moved to Houston. Prior to her passing, Ms. Minnie teased that she was working on another podcast that she would lead. 

After the news of her death was revealed, the tributes for the reality star poured in. Her boyfriend of one year, Atlanta rapper Slick Beatz, wrote about missing the love of his life on Instagram.

"The moment I saw you, I just knew it. I realized that you are all that I have been searching for all my life. I love you today, I love you tomorrow and I will love you the same 10 years from now," he wrote. "Ima miss you baby girl." 

Just hours after posting for Ms. Minnie, Slick Beatz made his Instagram page private.

Ms. Minnie's Little Women: Atlanta co-stars expressed their grief and disbelief online too. Amanda Salinas, who starred with Ms. Minnie on all five seasons of the series, posted a slideshow of photos on Instagram of the two together. 

"As I'm writing this I'm in tears I can't believe it my Minnie!!!! Why did they take you away from us!!!! WHY!!!!! It always seems like we have all the time in the world, only to realize how fleeting it really is. I wish we had more time to do and say the things we saved for later which along with you is gone forever," Amanda wrote. "I promise to keep you alive in my memories and be there for your mama and aunt."

"You were more than our best friend you were our big sister and still is [sic]!!! I still can’t believe this man why man why!!!!  I love you so much!!!! My heart is broken," she continued. "Rest In Peace, my love."

Amanda's twin, Andrea Salinas, echoed her sister's sentiments about Ms. Minnie.

"Minnie why did you have to leave us so soon!!?? You were such a great friend / mama bear to us since the day we meet in L.A. to film the pilot shoot for the show omg i can’t believe this!!" she wrote. "We are going to MISS YOU. May you Rest In Peace my Minnie."

Miss Juicy posted text on her Instagram page that read "This is too much, too much!" She captioned the post "Prayers for Minnie's family!!!"

Though Monie Cashette and Ms. Minnie had their feuds on the show, Monie still paid her respects for her late co-star. 

"I still can't believe I'm saying RIP Ms. Minnie right now," she wrote. "We may have not always seen eye to eye but we still was there for each other when it mattered the most. Love you girl."

Finally, Abira Greene wrote in her tribute that she and Ms. Minnie had grown throughout their time on the show. "R.I.P BEAUTIFUL QUEEN YOU WILL TRULY BE MISSED... PLEASE MY RESPECT US AND HER FAMILY IN THESE TIMES. Miss Minnie, WE LOVE YOU," she wrote in part of her caption.

Ahead of the Season 6 debut, the cast paid tribute once again to their late co-star. Her death occurred after filming for the season had commenced. 

The other ladies filmed a special introduction for the Season 6 premiere to discuss Minnie's legacy.

"We lost our sister Minnie in a tragic accident and our lives will never be the same," Monie shared in the intro.

The other cast members chimed in about Minnie, and the introduction concluded with them saying, "We love you, Minnie."

Little Women: Atlanta airs on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.