'Chicago Fire' Actress DuShon Monique Brown Dies At 49

CHICAGO, IL — DuShon Monique Brown, the veteran actress and Chicago native who played Chief Boden's assistant, Connie, on NBC's "Chicago Fire," died Friday afternoon at Franciscan Health hospital in Olympia Fields, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Cook County medical examiner's office has not yet released a cause of death, the report added.

Sources connected to "Chicago Fire" told TMZ that Brown, 49, had taken herself to the hospital days earlier when she began experiencing chest pains. Tests were conducted, and she was released shortly after, the report stated. On Friday, she apparently suffered "some type of cardiac episode," the report added.

News of Brown's death was sent out in an email to parents of Kenwood Academy High School, where the actress had worked at one time as a crisis counselor and sponsored the school's acting troupe, the Tribune reports. In fact, she still has a bio on the school's website, which lists her as a counselor.

Brown had more than 20 years of acting experience on the screen and on the stage. Along with her role on "Chicago Fire" — a show she's been on since it debuted in 2012 — she appeared on Fox's "Prison Break" from 2005 to 2007 and had guest spots on "Shameless" and "Empire," shows that are both Chicago-based productions. Brown also was familiar face in Chicago's theater scene, performing in productions at the Goodman Theatre and other city stages.

Brown attended Bryn Mawr Elementary and Whitney Young High schools in Chicago before earning a degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. She also received a master's degree from Governors State University.

More via the Chicago Tribune and TMZ

DuShon Monique Brown from 2017 (Photo by Elizabeth Morris | NBC)