Donald Faison and Ex-Wife Lisa Askey: A Look Back at Their Relationship Before Her Passing

Donald Faison announced the death of his ex-wife, Lisa Askey, in March 2017. She was the woman he credits for helping get his life together.

Faison revealed in an Instagram post that his ex-wife and the mother of three of his children — sons Dade and Kobe, and daughter Kaya — had passed away. (PEOPLE confirmed that Askey has died, though her cause of death was unknown at the time.)

"My son Dade is very brave. Today he and his brother Kobe and sister Kaya lost their mother. Lisa Askey Faison. She and I never really saw eye to eye but one thing we did share was our love for our children. RIP Lisa," Faison wrote. "You raised three beautiful children into fine adults and I am forever grateful for that. May god bless your soul with light and love."

Although Faison and his ex-wife didn't see "eye to eye" in the latter years of their relationship, she played a significant role in both the professional and personal life of the Scrubs actor.

The couple began dating in 1997 when Askey was a nursing student and Faison was "broke."

They welcomed fraternal twins — son Dade and daughter Kaya — two years later in 1999.

And another two years later, the couple wed and welcomed their third child — son Kobe — in 2001.

At the beginning of their relationship, she helped him become more responsible after he shot to fame in 1995 with the movie Clueless and its TV spinoff.

"I spent money on stupid things. A motorcycle, a big-screen TV," Faison, then 27, told PEOPLE in 2002. "I was lazy and she straightened me out."

"He's just a big kid himself," Askey told PEOPLE that same year.

In 2005, the couple's marriage came to an end when they divorced. Seven years after their split, Faison went on to marry CaCee Cobb in 2012, with whom he has two children: son, Rocco, 3, and a daughter named Wilder Frances.

To pay tribute to his late mother, Askey and Faison's oldest son Dade also honored her on social media, thanking her for always being there for him.

"I just wanted to say thank you so much mom! You have been there for me when I needed you most. I cant believe it has come to this but I know you are in a better place right now. I love you with all my heart and one day we shall meet again," he wrote on Instagram. "You worked so hard and never gave up no matter how hard times got. R.I.P mom and until next time! #RestInPeace #BestMom #Love."

Dade appears to have a positive relationship with his father, according to multiple social media posts documenting their time spent together, including Thanksgiving and Father's Day.

A rep for Faison did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment at the time.