Becoming ... Queen Latifah

See how the Taxi star went from teen rapper to Oscar-nominated actress. By Serena Kappes

FEELING THE LOSS

In 1992, Latifah's older brother Lance (nicknamed Winki), a 24-year-old cop, was killed in an off-duty motorcycle accident. "I would cry, but then I'd just go completely numb," says Latifah (with her brother in 1980). "Acting helped me get through that." At the suggestion of friend Jada Pinkett Smith, she also agreed to undergo psychotherapy.