We now know how Diamond of 'Diamond & Silk' died

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday January 24, 2023 · 11:28 AM PST

2023/01/24 · 11:28

Social media personalities Diamond and Silk listen as the US president speaks during a Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 27, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) — Silk on the left and Diamond on the right

Ineitha Lynnette Hardaway died early in the new year. Known by her stage name, Diamond, and for being one-half of the Trump-enthusiast sister duo, Diamond & Silk, Hardaway’s passing seemed sudden. However, as people quickly pointed out, her sister Silk, whose name is Rochelle Hardaway Richardson, had tweeted out an ominous call a few weeks earlier, writing: “Anyone who believes in the power of prayer please pray for Diamond.” It was later discovered that Diamond had been admitted to the hospital. Both Diamond & Silk denied there was any connection to COVID-19.

The relatively young age of Diamond, who was 51, and the mystery surrounding her passing led many to speculate that the COVID virus was involved in her death. This was further fueled by the very strange funeral service attended by twice-impeached guy Donald Trump, where Richardson referenced a boatload of anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories when discussing her sister’s passing.

Late Monday, the Associated Press reported that it had obtained a copy of Ms. Hardaway’s death certificate.

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According to the report, Hardaway died on Jan. 8 as a result of “heart disease due to chronic high blood pressure.” According to the AP, COVID-19 is not listed as the cause of death or as a contributing factor on the certificate.

It makes sense that Richardson would be mysterious and cagey about her sister’s passing, and inflammatory in her COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. It is also understandable that someone grieving the loss of a loved one might make irrational claims and statements—like implying that your sister was infected by someone’s poisonous vaccine. One of the many strange things Richardson said during the memorial for her sister, included:

"Don't you dare call me a conspiracy theorist, because I saw it happen. I saw how it happened. I was there when it happened, and it happened suddenly. I want America to wake up and pay attention. Something ain't right. It's time to investigate what's really going on here, and give some answers to why people are falling dead suddenly."

It’s not a surprise, really, that Richardson is still building a fantasyland where Democrats/science/a secret cabal of Democratic scientists/”they” are responsible for every heinous thing. It was the duo’s outrageous claims that led to the two losing their Fox Nation jobs back in April 2020. To get cut from the Fox News roster, you have to 1) express sympathy for the plight of any group of marginalized people, or 2) go so far rightward into conspiracyville that even the right-wing conspiracy machine has a hard time digesting your nonsense. Diamond & Silk chose the latter route, but were probably really fired for a third, unwritten rule of right-wing media, seeing as how other absurd theories abound on Fox: Being Black and/or a woman makes you an easy scapegoat to create cover for bad press.

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We now know how Diamond of 'Diamond & Silk' died

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