Bill Cosby's daughter passes away at the age of 44

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) -- TMZ reports Ensa Cosby, the daughter of comedian Bill Cosby, has passed away at the age of 44.

The gossip site reports she passed away on Friday night in Massachusetts. The cause of her death is unknown but in the past she has suffered from issues with her kidney. She also reportedly suffered from multiple medical issues throughout her life.

TMZ says that she was possibly in line for a transplant. Mr. Cosby's son Ennis was murdered in 1997 after a failed robbery attempt.

The Daily Mail reports Ensa was a yoga instructor a few miles away from her family's compound. She was also very supportive of her father throughout his ordeal of sexual assault lawsuits.

"I'm a very private person and I've chosen to live my life with my family quietly but for my child, my niece and my nephew, and my father, I can't sit quietly anymore. The man portrayed in the media today is not who my father is," Ensa said in a statement released in May. "The accusations against my father have been one sided since the beginning, and when he tried to defend himself he was sued in civil court. I've seen the accusations become more horrific and extreme with time and I have witnessed my father's reputation and legendary work be dismissed without any proof."

She even stated that her father was being "publicly lynched" by the media.

"My father has been publicly lynched in the media and my family, my young daughter, my young niece and nephew have had to stand helplessly by and watch the double standard or pretending to protect the rights of some but ignoring the rights of others," Ensa said.

Ensa was featured in an episode of "The Cosby Show" during season 6 titled "I'm 'In' With the 'In' Crowd." She played a college friend of Cosby's television daughter Vanessa. The scene which she's in is set in a college dorm while students are playing a drinking game.

Ensa is survived by husband Martin McLean, her parents Bill and Camille along with siblings Erika, Erinn and Evin.

In 2011, Ensa's husband was charged with felonies after being caught passing out phony prescriptions, according to Radar Online. He is accused of trying to convince a pharmacist to fill out a fake order for 90 tablets of Oxycodone. He eventually pled not guilty and the case was dismissed once he finished a drug rehab program.

Radar Online also reports McLean suffered from substance abuse and once wrote in an online profile that his addiction came after undergoing hip replacement surgery.

Her death comes before Cosby is set to be retried for charges of rape in a Pennsylvania courtroom.