Human Interest Animals Celebrity Pets 'RHOP' Alum Monique Samuels Mourns Death of Pet Parrot T'Challa: 'The Pain is Intense' “I don’t know why you had to leave us forever but I’m so grateful for being blessed to experience such an amazing creature,” Monique Samuels said of her late African grey parrot By Naledi Ushe Naledi Ushe Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 6, 2021 09:53PM EDT Monique Samuels and pet bird T'Challa. Photo: Monique Samuels/instagram Monique Samuels is grieving over the loss of her pet bird, T'Challa. On Tuesday, the Real Housewives of Potomac alum, 37, revealed in an emotional Instagram post that her African grey parrot had died earlier this month. "On July 1 around 5 p.m., my entire world was rocked 🥺," Samuels said, captioning a series of photos and videos of her and the bird. "My @tchallasamuels was killed in a freak accident." The mother of three went on to write that she "barely can utter his name without crying" adding that the pain of losing T'Challa is "indescribable." "The pain is intense and I'm just completely baffled, overwhelmed and cannot stop the emotional rollercoaster I am on right now. My children keep breaking down which makes the pain even worse," Samuels added. She went on to reference an incident where T'Challa flew away last August, but came back on his own the following day. "I had no idea God was preparing me in that moment for the unbearable," the former reality TV star wrote. Monique Samuels Says She's Not Returning to Real Housewives of Potomac: 'Enough Is Enough' Samuels got T'Challa 2 years ago. The bird became a breakout star when he was introduced on the Bravo show in season 5, hilariously flying at costar Dr. Wendy Osefo and playfully feuding with O.G. Housewife Karen Huger. One fan on Twitter labeled Huger and T'Challa's beef as "The best feud of the season." "I thought he would outlive me!" Samuels said, in her post. "He was on my shoulder as I endured some of the toughest moments of my life." He was even by Samuels' side when she quit RHOP after season 4's reunion aired. "As I closed that chapter, I had no idea his page would end there too," she explained. Samuels called her parrot "part of our entire family" and opened up about how her life has changed in his absence. "My house is too quiet. My shoulder is too light. My mornings preparing coffee while he sits on my shoulder will forever be altered," she wrote. "I don't know why you had to leave us forever but I'm so grateful for being blessed to experience such an amazing creature." "I'm forever grateful for T'Challa and how he changed my life and my family's life," she said. "I'm not okay but I'll keep pushing as I always do. Rest my beautiful baby 🙏🏽💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔." Monique Samuels and pet bird T'Challa. Monique Samuels/instagram Monique Samuels and pet bird T'Challa. Monique Samuels/instagram RELATED VIDEO: Monique Samuels Shares Tagline for T'Challa: 'I Fly Above the Drama and S--- on All My Haters' Samuels previously said on Twitter that she got T'Challa when her husband Chris said she couldn't get a dog. "I love animals and my hubby wouldn't let me get a dog so I got a puppy with wings," she explained. "He's the best pet I've ever had honestly. Never knew birds were cuddlers." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The parrot even got its own Housewives tagline, Samuels told Daryn Carp on PEOPLE's Reality Check. "I fly above the drama and s— on all my haters," Samuels joked. Close