Cicely Tyson, Iconic And Award-Winning American Actress, Dies At 96

Cicely Tyson, an award-winning icon of the stage and screen who broke barriers for Black actresses with surpassing dignity, has died at 96.

According to a statement from her longtime manager, Larry Thompson, she died on Thursday afternoon, January 28.

He said;

With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time, please allow the family their privacy.

I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing. Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.

However, Thompson did not reveal the cause of the death of the actress who distinguished herself in theater, film, and television.

The actress, who is popularly known for her role as Annalise Keating’s mother in TV series ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ chronicled her lengthy career in her first memoir, “Just As I Am,” which was just released Tuesday.

Tyson embodied African American women who demanded attention — and more than that, respect. She played former slaves, civil rights icons, sharecroppers, truthtellers, mothers and other complicated women — bringing a sense of depth, nobility and grace to every character.

She made her film debut with a small role in 1957’s “Twelve Angry Men” and her formal debut in the 1959 Sidney Poitier film “Odds Against Tomorrow,” followed by “The Comedians,” “The Last Angry Man,” “A Man Called Adam” and “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.”

In 1974, she starred in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” a television movie based on a novel by Ernest Gaines. Tyson was the title character, a woman born into slavery who lives well into the 20th century and takes part in African Americans’ struggles for civil rights.

Tyson won two Emmys for the role, best actress in a drama and actress of the year. During her career, she would win a total of three Emmy Awards out of 15 nominations.

Throughout her career, Tyson refused to play drug addicts, prostitutes or maids, roles she thought demeaning to Black women. She played former slaves, civil rights icons, sharecroppers, truthtellers, mothers, bringing a sense of depth, nobility, and grace to every character.

Her filmography includes some of the most celebrated movies and television shows featuring Black women in major roles: “Sounder” (1972), “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1974), “Roots” (1977), “The Marva Collins Story” (1981), “The Women of Brewster Place” (1989), and “The Help” (2011).

In her 70s, Tyson worked more in film than at any other time in her career, thanks in part to Billionaire filmmaker, Tyler Perry: She appeared in his films “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” (2005), “Madea’s Family Reunion (2006) and “Why Did I Get Married Too?” (2010) as well as in the 2012 Perry starrer “Alex Cross,” which he did not direct.

The actress also had supporting roles in “Because of Winn-Dixie,” “Fat Rose and Squeaky,” “Idlewild” and 2011’s “The Help.”

In November 2018, Tyson became the first African-American woman to receive an honorary Oscar. She was also inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and was chosen to be inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

Tyson married jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1981, but their union ended in divorce in 1988.

According to her, her most important accomplishment happened in 2016 when President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Freedom.

Obama on that day said;

In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.

Tyson described that moment as “the most important thing that could happen to me.”

The death of the renowned actress drew an outpouring of tributes from Hollywood stars and far beyond.