DuShon Monique Brown was one of Chicago Fire’s finest

Chicago Fire’s DuShon Monique Brown passed away Friday, and the One Chicago family lost one of its brightest, most compassionate and most memorable stars.

There was sad news to report in the One Chicago family on Friday night, as Chicago Fire‘s DuShon Monique Brown passed away at the age of 49, per The Chicago Tribune.

As of the time of publication, her cause of death had not been confirmed. But what we do know is that the One Chicago universe lost one of its most amazing members.

Anyone who is a Chicago Fire fan knows how amazing DuShon Monique Brown was in the role of Connie, Chief Boden’s assistant. She was one of the franchise’s best recurring players, who could make or break a scene without saying a word.

In this week’s two-hour Chicago Fire event, she was responsible for some of the funniest scenes including Connie handing Mouch the invoice that burst his bubble about the Slamigan.

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And as any fan knows, that was normal. Connie was a scene-stealer every time she appeared. We all have our favorite Connie moment, or our memory of how she perfectly buttoned a scene, and we all loved her.

The character of Connie had the respect of everyone throughout Firehouse 51, because she was a strong, smart woman who took no nonsense from anyone—and it wouldn’t be out of line to say that many people were intimidated by her.

Likewise, DuShon Monique Brown had the respect and love of everyone throughout the One Chicago world. But it wasn’t because we were scared of her. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

She was one of the kindest, warmest, funniest and most giving people that you could ever meet.

She lit up a room just by being in it, and always gave you something to smile about.

Setting aside all the great things she did as Connie on Chicago Fire, I want to step outside the box and tell you about how remarkable DuShon Monique Brown was as a person and a friend.

DuShon was one of the first people that I met when I entered the One Chicago fandom two years ago. She welcomed me into the family with open arms, a big heart and plenty of laughter. She put my nerves at ease, and made me feel like we’d known each other for years, even though we had just met.

As I ventured into this new world, she was one of my biggest supporters every step of the way. I flew to Chicago for a charity event and was worried I didn’t have anyone to hang out with; DuShon told me I could hang out with her and made a point of finding me when she arrived. She was like that—every time our paths crossed, she would always stop and say hello.

And she had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I knew. The last memory I’ll have of her was how she sent me flowers just because she wanted to let me know how much she appreciated my work.

But the truth is, sweet gestures like that were just DuShon Monique Brown. She was always so considerate of other people and lifting other people up. When she wasn’t on Chicago Fire, she had been a guidance counselor at Kenwood Academy High School, and was involved with their drama program.

She was a proud mother, a violinist, and so many other awesome things. DuShon was just as amazing as Connie—someone you could look up to, laugh with, and be inspired by.

Not that she ever thought of herself that way. In our very first conversation two years ago, one of the things we talked about was how she could hardly believe she was part of One Chicago.

“Probably the first wrap party I was invited to for Chicago Fire and being in the sea of the stars and the crew and then the production staff, it seemed surreal,” she told me then. “Can I approach these people? Am I a part of this?”

Yes, DuShon, you were a part of this. A well-deserved and very significant part of this. And the One Chicago universe won’t be the same without you.

We here at One Chicago Center send our condolences to DuShon Monique Brown’s family, friends and everyone in the One Chicago family mourning her loss. She was truly one of a kind, and we are poorer for having lost her.