# Sam Sarpong
**Sam Sarpong** (Samuel Osei Sarpong, Jr.; 19 December 1975 – 26 October 2015) was a British-born model, actor, and television presenter who was the international face of [Tommy Hilfiger](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-hilfiger) for about six years and co-hosted MTV's *Yo Momma* for three seasons from 2006[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong). He also recorded music with his group [The League](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-league) and appeared in dozens of films and television programs[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Osei Sarpong, Jr.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765493/) |
| Born | 1975, London, England[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html); one reference work gives c. 1979[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sarpong-sam-1979) |
| Died | 26 October 2015, Pasadena, California, after jumping from a bridge; investigated as a possible suicide[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/former-mtv-host-sam-sarpong-commits-suicide/) |
| Modeling | Face of Tommy Hilfiger internationally for six years; also modeled for Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci, Donna Karan, and Dolce & Gabbana[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong) |
| Hosting | Co-host of MTV's *Yo Momma* for three seasons beginning 2006; host of the BET pre-awards show *All Access*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong) |
| Music | Sold more than a million records with his group The League[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html) |
| Family | Older brother of the British television presenter June Sarpong[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/mtv-presenter-model-sam-sarpong-dies-after-jumping-from-pasadena-bridge/) |
## Early life
Sarpong grew up in [Leytonstone](https://www.edgepedia.org/leytonstone) in London with his sisters. When he was 11, he moved with his father, a property developer, to Los Angeles, while his sister June stayed in London with their mother, a nurse[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/june-sarpong-what-a-laugh-101757.html). His parents came originally from Ghana[8](https://www.bluepierecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DJC-Sam-Sarpong-2013-EPK.pdf). He was a promising high school basketball player and hoped for a sporting career; when that did not work out he turned to modeling and acting[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html).
## Modeling career
Sarpong made his screen debut uncredited in the teen drama series *My So-Called Life* in 1994, and in parallel built a catwalk career with Hilfiger, Gucci, Versace, and [Louis Vuitton](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-vuitton)[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html). One of Tommy Hilfiger's first black models, he became the face of the brand for six years[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html). He was named in *Today's Black Woman* magazine's "Fifty Most Beautiful People" list twice and appeared in *Us Weekly*'s "Hot 100 Young Hollywood with Style" list in 2007[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html). In July 2009 he was featured in a 10-foot work of art by the artist Toni Scott at the California African American Museum, which his IMDb profile describes as the first time a model, male or female, was featured in an exhibit at that museum[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765493/). A 2009 Planet Africa profile described him as one of the top ten supermodels in the world and noted that he had been the first model featured in a 10-foot collage at the African American Museum[8](https://www.bluepierecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DJC-Sam-Sarpong-2013-EPK.pdf).
## Acting and television
His acting work consisted largely of guest and supporting roles. Television credits included *My So-Called Life*, *Family Matters*, *Dangerous Minds*, *Home Improvement*, *Mr. Show with Bob and David*, *Boston Public*, *The District*, *NCIS*, *ER*, *Veronica Mars*, *Everybody Hates Chris*, *Cold Case*, *24*, *[Bones](https://www.edgepedia.org/bones-tv-series)*, and *American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson*, along with the television movies *[Carmen: A Hip Hopera](https://www.edgepedia.org/carmen-a-hip-hopera)*, *Save the Last Dance*, *Sucker Free City*, and *Studio City*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong). Film roles included *Sunset Park* (1996), an uncredited part as a jail inmate in *American History X* (1998), *Masked and Anonymous* (2003), *Love Don't Cost a Thing* (2003), and *Keeping Up with the Steins* (2006)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sarpong-sam-1979).
In 2010 he played Paul Unanga, the male lead, in the independent film *Anchor Baby*[9](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-111866/filmographie/). A 2013 press kit stated that he had appeared in over 60 movies and 40 television shows and credited *Anchor Baby* with bringing him international recognition in 2011[8](https://www.bluepierecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DJC-Sam-Sarpong-2013-EPK.pdf). The Independent obituary called his part in *Carmen: A Hip Hopera*, the MTV adaptation of Bizet's *Carmen* starring Beyoncé Knowles, probably his best-known acting role[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html).
## Hosting and music
From 2006 Sarpong co-hosted MTV's *Yo Momma* for three seasons, appearing alongside the series' creator [Wilmer Valderrama](https://www.edgepedia.org/wilmer-valderrama), who traveled the country in search of America's best trash-talkers[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong) • [6](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/mtv-presenter-model-sam-sarpong-dies-after-jumping-from-pasadena-bridge/). He also hosted the BET pre-awards show *All Access*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong). As a musician, he sold more than a million records with his group The League[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html), and an early profile lists him as a member of the music crew Future Stars[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sarpong-sam-1979).
## Death
On the afternoon of Monday, 26 October 2015, Sarpong died in [Pasadena, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/pasadena-california), where he lived, after jumping from the Colorado Street Bridge. Pasadena police reported that officers had spent seven hours trying to talk the 40-year-old man down before he jumped. The [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county) coroner's office said the case was being investigated as a possible suicide, with the official cause of death awaiting toxicology results[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/former-mtv-host-sam-sarpong-commits-suicide/). His publicist confirmed the death in a statement released to MTV, and Valderrama reacted on Instagram, saying he was "so sad & so confused" and urging people to reach out to others if they found themselves "in a dark place"[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/mtv-presenter-model-sam-sarpong-dies-after-jumping-from-pasadena-bridge/). Sarpong was survived by his father and his sister June[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/former-mtv-host-sam-sarpong-commits-suicide/). News reports gave his age as 40[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/former-mtv-host-sam-sarpong-commits-suicide/), although a birth date of 1975 would have made him 39 at his death, as film and television databases calculate it[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8312/sam-sarpong).
## References
1. [Sam Sarpong, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/sam-sarpong)
2. [Sam Sarpong: Actor and musician who was also one of the first black models to carve out a successful catwalk career, The Independent (2015)](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sam-sarpong-actor-and-musician-who-was-also-one-of-the-first-black-models-to-carve-out-a-successful-catwalk-career-a6721796.html)
3. [Sam Sarpong (1975–2015), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765493/)
4. [Sarpong, Sam 1979(–), Encyclopedia.com / Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sarpong-sam-1979)
5. [Former MTV Host Sam Sarpong Dies Of Apparent Suicide, CBS San Francisco / Associated Press (2015)](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/former-mtv-host-sam-sarpong-commits-suicide/)
6. [MTV Presenter, Model Sam Sarpong Dies After Jumping From Pasadena Bridge, CBS Los Angeles (2015)](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/mtv-presenter-model-sam-sarpong-dies-after-jumping-from-pasadena-bridge/)
7. [June Sarpong: What a laugh, The Independent (2002)](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/june-sarpong-what-a-laugh-101757.html)
8. [Sam Sarpong, Supermodel, Actor, Television Host and Hip Hop Star, Planet Africa Magazine 2009 Awards Edition / Blue Pie Records EPK](https://www.bluepierecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/DJC-Sam-Sarpong-2013-EPK.pdf)
9. [Sam Sarpong: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-111866/filmographie/)
10. [Sam Sarpong, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/8312/sam-sarpong)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Q to Se*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license