Five Fast Facts About Andre Lyon On Empire

Andre Lyon may be the smartest of the Lyon brothers on Empire, but he sure does get put through the wringer. From health issues to huge emotional losses to everything in between, there’s really nothing Andre hasn’t gone through over the past five seasons.

With the sixth and final season coming up this fall, it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll finally get a happy ending. Here are five fast facts you need to know about Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) on Empire.

Quick Thinking
Andre is the eldest of the Lyon brothers, but he’s also arguably the smartest. Not only did he graduate from Wharton Business School, but he also has dreams of taking over the family business — but he’s also a quick-thinker.

It was revealed during a flashback that as a child, he prevented his father from going to jail with his quicking thinking. Andre hid Lucious’s gun before the police raided their home as children.

Mental Health Struggles
Though he’s always focused on business, Andre also struggles with bipolar disorder. However, he ignored his mental health for quite some time, which ended up making it an even bigger issue. Thankfully, after getting support from his wife, Andre began taking medication and learned how to manage things.

Two Tragedies
Life has not been easy for Andre, that’s for sure. In what has to be one of the most devastating moments in the history of Empire, Andre’s wife, Rhonda, was killed by Anika. She was also pregnant with Andre’s baby at the time, so he not only lost his wife but his unborn son. This tragedy sent Andre into a spiral.

Doing Time
Following the death of his wife, Andre was determined to seek revenge. In fact, he decided to poison Anika’s drink, which ultimately caused her death back in Season 4 when she fell off a landing. Andre was sent to prison for his part, but he was released at the beginning of Season 5.

Biggest Battle
Andre was diagnosed with cancer during Season 5. The prognosis wasn’t good, but he was eventually cured of the disease. However, he then found out he needed a heart transplant in order to stay alive. Andre wanted to give up and was about to kill himself until he learned he’s expecting a child.