The Untold Story of Eddie Murphy’s Parents and the Foster Care Years That Changed Him

Few comedians have left a mark like Eddie Murphy. The raw and unfiltered jokester rose to fame in the 1980s and hasn’t slowed down since. Born in April 1961 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eddie is the son of Lillian and Charles Edward Murphy.

The New York native, who spent part of his childhood in foster care, grew up to become one of the most celebrated comedians of his generation. Behind that success stands the love and influence of his parents and siblings. Here’s a look at the actor’s family, including his parental figures and equally talented brothers.

Eddie’s mother, Lillian, worked as a telephone operator, while his father, Charles, served as a New York City transit police officer and part-time comedian. The couple separated when Eddie was very young. In 1969, when Eddie was 8, his father was fatally stabbed by a woman he was dating. Murphy later told People that the loss “affected me a bunch of different ways” and acknowledged the trauma of those years.

“I’m sure it affected me a bunch of different ways,” he said. “There was a lot of trauma, and we’re shaped by that stuff.” His mother remarried, to Vernon Lynch Sr., someone Murphy says filled an important void: “By the grace of God, my mother married an amazing, solid man who put all the right s--t in me. That’s crucial. It makes a huge difference.”

After his father’s death, Eddie and his older brother Charlie spent about a year in foster care while their mother recovered from illness. Eddie often credited that experience with shaping his humor. Living in a strict foster home, he became determined to make people laugh. “Those were baaaaaad days. Staying with her was probably the reason I became a comedian,” Eddie said, per Foster Club.

Lillian and Vernon Lynch raised Eddie and his brother Charlie together in the Roosevelt section of Long Island. By age 15, Eddie was performing stand-up routines at local talent shows and clubs.

His older brother, Charles “Charlie” Murphy, served in the U.S. Navy before launching a career in comedy. Eddie often joked that Charlie was his favorite impression, saying, “I’ve been doing him since I was two or three,” per Variety. The brothers collaborated on several projects; Charlie co-wrote Eddie’s film Norbit, but Charlie earned fame on his own through Chappelle’s Show in the early 2000s. Tragically, Charlie suffered from leukemia for several years and died in 2017 at age 57.

Eddie’s younger half-brother, Vernon Lynch Jr., was named after their stepfather. Vernon briefly pursued a career in entertainment as part of the late-1980s hip-hop duo K-9 Posse and later co-wrote the 1995 Eddie Murphy film Vampire in Brooklyn. He later shifted careers and now works as a boxing coach and manager for his son, Brandyn Lynch, who won a championship belt in 2021.