Monster's Ball actor Coronji Calhoun Sr dies aged 30

Halle Berry won an Oscar for her role alongside Coronji Calhoun

Coronji Calhoun Sr, who played Halle Berry's son Tyrell in the Oscar-winning 2001 film Monster's Ball, has died at the age of 30.

The actor's death, from congestive heart failure, was confirmed by his mother via a GoFundMe page that was set up to pay for his funeral.

Berry and Monster's Ball producer Lee Daniels each donated $3,394 (£2,535).

Calhoun's mother Theresa C Bailey said the family had been "blown away" by the love and support they had received.

"While the financial burden has been lifted, we still mourn the loss of my son," she wrote.

"As we close this chapter, we ask that in your remembrance of him, you remember to love your neighbour as yourself, because that is what Coronji did for his entire community."

Hollywood landmark

Calhoun was just 10 when he appeared in Monster's Ball, but he did not have any other acting credits.

The film provided a landmark movie moment when Berry became the first black woman to win the Oscar for best actress.

The film centres around the relationship between Leticia Musgrove (Berry) and Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), who begin a relationship while unaware that she is the widow of a man (Sean Combs) he assisted in executing.

Calhoun played her artistically talented son, who she physically and emotionally abuses for his obesity.

Berry starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton

"That scene was actually harder for me [than the film's famous love scene] because he's a real little boy with a real weight problem and he has real issues surrounding it himself," Berry said in a 2001 interview.

"And he was not an actor. [Director Marc Forster] just plucked him out of obscurity in Louisiana, so he really didn't understand the process, or so I thought.

"I talked a lot with him and his mother and I explained and explained, so before every take I would hug him and kiss him, and after every take I'd hug him and kiss him."

She added that she had "really made it a point to stay in touch with him and really stay in his life, and I hope we stay that way".