Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Trailblazing actress Cicely Tyson has died at 96.
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Tyson’s death was announced Thursday evening by her family and manager Larry Thompson:
“With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time, please allow the family their privacy,” according to a statement issued through Thompson.
This heartbreaking news comes just two days after the icon released a memoir titled “Just as I Am.”
Today is the day! My memoir #JustAsIAm is on sale wherever books are sold. https://t.co/aXHMBYK1TL
— Cicely Tyson (@IAmCicelyTyson) January 26, 2021
The 3x-Emmy winning actress made her film debut in 1957 with a role in “Twelve Angry Men.” Her first stand-out debut then came in the 1959 Sidney Poitier film “Odds Against Tomorrow.”
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Choosing principle over money, throughout her entire career, the “Roots” actress refused to accept any roles that would perpetuate negative stereotypes of Black women.
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Her values and beliefs did not leave her without. The East Harlem native’s legacy is filled with a lifetime of awards and honors including four NAACP awards, seventeen Emmy nominations (three won), and countless more.
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In 2018 Tyson received an Honorary Oscar, an honor that though well deserved, she had never been awarded.
The “East Side/West Side” actress was inducted into The Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2020.
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No cause of death or further details have been released at this time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Cicely Tyson.
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