Denise Francine ‘Fran’ Boyd Andrews, a drug counselor whose battle with addiction inspired a book and HBO miniseries, dies

Denise Francine “Fran” Boyd Andrews worked on street outreach, HIV education and outreach, overdose counseling and case management at Bon Secours Health System. (Amy Davis / XX)

Denise Francine “Fran” Boyd Andrews worked on street outreach, HIV education and outreach, overdose counseling and case management at Bon Secours Health System. (Amy Davis / XX)

Denise Francine “Fran” Boyd Andrews, whose desperate, determined, despairing — and ultimately triumphant — battle with drug addiction was chronicled in the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries “The Corner” died Tuesday in her Parkville home after a brief illness. She was 65.

The cause of her death is unknown.

Mrs. Andrews’ life took her from the shooting galleries and flophouses of Baltimore’s Franklin Square neighborhood to a bed in a rehabilitation facility and ultimately, the Hollywood red carpet.

Her first husband died from a drug overdose. Her 2007 wedding to her second husband, Donnie Andrews, who inspired the character of Omar Little on the HBO series, “The Wire,” was chronicled on the front page of the New York Times. The couple later spoke at Harvard University.

“Don’t let nobody tell you what you can’t do,” Mrs. Andrews said often. “You can turn your life around.”

Even after she’d accomplished so much and helped lift up many members of her family, Mrs. Andrews’ life continued to be marred by tragedy. In 2012, she lost her eldest son to a drug overdose and her second husband to a fatal tear in his artery.

But Mrs. Andrews never stopped fighting. She worried over and cared for and tried to find resources for the clients she counseled at the Bon Secours Health System, whether she was on the clock or not. She refused to lose.

Despite his grief, Stanley Boyd couldn’t help laughing when he talked about the woman he called “my big little sister.” Though Stanley Boyd was four years older than Fran, he said he looked up to her.

“She could do anything,” her brother said. “Despite all the trials she had in her life, she affected so many people.”

The Baltimore Sun

Skip The Scoop | Seek Understanding

COVID’s US toll projected to drop sharply by the end of July

Show Me

Canada authorizes Pfizer vaccine for age 12 and older

Show Me

Honeywell Fined $13 Million For Exporting Sensitive Information to Countries Including China

Show Me

Peloton treadmills recalled after a child dies; CEO apologizes for ‘mistake’ in initial response

Show Me

British woman murdered in Pakistan after refusing marriage proposals: report

Show Me

Left-Wing Media Watchdog Defends Jennifer Granholm’s Wealth After Helping Her Become a Millionaire

Show Me

In Virtual Town Hall, U.S. Army Sought to Convert — and Coerce — Vaccine Skeptics

Show Me

Coca-Cola Chief Lawyer Who Demanded Race Quotas for Attorneys Resigns, Gets Rehired for $666,666 per Month

Show Me

This Is Only One Of Many Reasons Americans Distrust Doctor Fauci & The CDC | Vaccine Side Effects Americans Tell One Another | Video: 2 Minutes 26 Seconds

Show Me

Nashville Police Officer Shot After ‘Setup’ 911 Call Lured Responders Into Ambush

Show Me

Trump/Owens 2024: Candace Owens wants on the ticket, asks Trump ‘Can I be your vice president?’

Show Me

G-7 Signals Deep Concern Over Alleged China Human-Rights Abuses

Show Me

Exposed: Government-Sponsored Experiments on Aborted Human Fetuses at the University of Pittsburgh – FETUS TRAFFICKING

Show Me

An Alarming Number of Young Men and Boys in Myanmar Have Been ‘Disappeared’ by the Military

Show Me

May 5, 2021 | Nightly News Rebroadcast | Video: 54 Minutes 35 Seconds

Show Me

‘From the Desk of’: Trump unveils online platform, upstages impending ruling on Facebook access

Show Me

Republicans: Break Up Big Tech After Facebook Board Upholds Trump Ban

Show Me

Trump Endorses Elise Stefanik to Replace Liz Cheney in House GOP Leadership

Show Me

Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 1 | Recorded May 5, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 38 Seconds

Show Me

UNEARTHED: 1619 Project Founder Praised Cuba’s ‘Socialist’ Accomplishments, Counts Education As ‘Cornerstone Of Revolution.’

Show Me

Mexican agencies won’t help US topple drug cartels, senior DEA official says

Show Me

Fauci Admits CDC Guidelines For Kids To Wear Masks Outdoors In 90-Degree Weather May Not Be ‘Sensible’

Show Me

Bannon’s War Room | Morning Edition Hour 2 | Recorded May 5, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 40 Seconds

Show Me

Facebook Declares Donald Trump will Stay Banned from the Platform … But Only for Six Months?

Show Me

Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Suspension of Donald Trump’s Account

Show Me

Trump Allies Launch Nonprofit Focused on Election Fraud

Show Me

Bannon’s War Room | Evening Edition | Recorded May 5, 2021 | Video: 48 Minutes 59 Seconds

Show Me

Pfizer anticipates seeking emergency use authorization in September for kids 2 to 11 to take vaccine

Show Me

CA Officials Request Big Tech Censorship

Show Me

Antifa Goon Jumps on Elderly Man’s Car, Quickly Discovers How Gravity and Horsepower Work

Show Me

American Medical Association CEO Calls Laws Banning Kids Trans Surgeries ‘Dangerous Governmental Intrusion’

Show Me

Americans Are Finding It Increasingly Difficult To Take The Media Seriously | AP Uses Poll To Accuse Americans Of Their Own Failures

Show Me

Record-low U.S. birth rate fell another 4% in 2020, CDC says

Show Me

Vaccine info site: CENSORED

Show Me

Exclusive— Andrew Wilkow: ‘Woke Left’ Makes ‘Pearl-Clutching Conservatives from the 80s Look Like Cardi B’

Show Me

Freddy Got Fingered – The Official Trailer | Video: 2 Minutes 19 Seconds

Show Me

20 years ago ‘Freddy Got Fingered’ Disgusted the Nation — Has Its Time Arrived?

Show Me

The Worst of Both Worlds — Genetically Engineered Goats to Produce New Vaccine

Show Me

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy Says Liz Cheney Leadership Ouster Likely Before the End of The Month – Perhaps Tucker Carlson Attacks on McCarthy Are Connected

Show Me

Bill Gates hires Warren Buffett’s right-hand man as his lawyer in split from wife Melinda

Show Me