Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Trailblazing actress Cicely Tyson has died at 96.
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.”
Choosing principle over money, throughout her entire career, the “Roots” actress refused to accept any roles that would perpetuate negative stereotypes of Black women.
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.
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.
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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