Michelle Thomas was born in Boston but raised in New York. She attended the Montclair School of Arts and the Broadway Dance Center. She is survived by her parents, Phynjuar Thomas, a stage actress, and Dennis Thomas, who was a member of the 1970s funk band Kool & the Gang, of Weekhawken, N.J. Miss Thomas appeared on the CBS soap opera "The Young & The Restless" as Callie; on "The Cosby Show" as Justine, who was the girlfriend of Theo, the character played by Malcolm Jamal Warner; and on "Family Matters" as Myra, who was the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, the character played by Jaleel White. She had guest appearances in a number of other TV shows, including "Roseanne," and also performed in music videos, Los Angeles theater productions and several movies, including "Hangin' with the Homeboys." Just prior to her death, Michelle Thomas had received an NAACP Image Award nomination for outstanding actress in a daytime drama series.
Dated Malcolm-Jamal Warner, whom she met while playing his girlfriend, Justine, on The Cosby Show. Miss Talented Teen New Jersey in Hal Jackson's Talented Teen Competition. She went on to compete in the international pageant in Jamaica and was crowned International Queen in 1985. Once diagnosed with cancer, she refused treatments for her condition for she was afraid that they would interfere with her chances of conceiving children. Ironically, she passed away before she could have any children. Actor and former boyfriend Malcolm-Jamal Warner was at her bedside when she died on December 22, 1998 Daughter of Dennis J.T. Thomas. During the last season of "Family Matters", her cancer grew worse, making it harder for her to do her scenes. Her screen time grew shorter and shorter, before she had to leave the show for good in 1998 shortly before it was canceled.