Yvette Nicole Brown departs Community to care for sick father

Actress Yvette Nicole Brown is leaving her role on cult TV comedy Community in order to care for her ailing father.

Brown has played Shirley Bennett on the series since 2009, but she announced on Tuesday (30Sep14) that she will not be joining her fellow castmates for the upcoming sixth season, and requested to be released from her contract to focus on caring for her sick dad.

She tells TV Guide Magazine, "My dad needs daily care and he needs me. The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad.

"I can't say enough how much I respect Sony and (executive producer) Dan (Harmon) for how they handled this profound change in my life... I'm still Community's biggest fan... It's very bittersweet. I can take care of my dad but won't be with my TV family. I don't want the fans to worry; it's going to be fine."

Brown is also currently working on the remake of classic sitcom The Odd Couple, starring Matthew Perry.

Meanwhile, Community stars including Joel McHale, Alison Brie and Ken Jeong are all slated to return for the show's sixth season, which will stream on Yahoo! Screen, after it was canceled by bosses at NBC network after five seasons.