Cicely Tyson, the trailblazing actress who earned some of film, theatre and television’s highest honors while breaking barriers throughout her illustrious career, died on Thursday, January 28 at the age of 96.
Tyson, who won two Emmys for her work in the 1974 television film “The Autobiography of Jane Pittman,” cemented her status as a groundbreaking icon and helped pave the way for the generation of compelling Black actresses who came after her.
Her work in the 1972 film “Sounder” earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for best actress.
Tyson found further success with memorable roles in various projects including “Roots” (1977), “King” (1978), “The Marva Collins Story” (1981), “The Woman of Brewster Place” (1989) and “The Help” (2011).
For her work in the play “The Trip to Bountiful,” she won the Tony Award for best actress in a play in 2013.
After starring in five of his films, including “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Madea’s Family Reunion,” Tyson formed an enduring bond with director and fellow actor Tyler Perry.
Perry affectionately remembered Tyson in an Instagram tribute, where he said the actress was the “grandmother I never had”.
“To think that she lived for 96 years and I got to be a part of the last 16 brings me great joy,” he wrote. “She called me son. Well, today your son grieves your loss and will miss our long talks, your laughter from belly, and your very presence.”
Musician Lenny Kravitz, who was the late actress’ godson, remembered her as a “true pioneer” and as a godmother who offered unwavering support.
“With imitable style and grace, my dear Godmother Miss Cicely Tyson made her grand exit to the heavens,” Kravitz wrote in an Instagram tribute. “She lived a remarkable life up to the last moment.”
Actresses Angela Bassett and Viola Davis, who worked alongside Tyson in “The Rosa Parks Story” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” penned touching tributes where they each thanked the 15-time Emmy nominee for allowing them to dream big.
“You gave me permission to dream…because it was only in my dreams that I could see the possibilities in myself,” Davis wrote.
Tyson was one of five honorees recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2015 and became the first Black woman to receive an honorary Oscar in 2018.
In 2016, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
In a 2017 interview with Steve Harvey, Tyson spoke about that moment and described what receiving the Medal of Freedom meant to her.
“It’s the most important thing that could happen to me,” she said. “For the first Black president to put that medal around my neck, where can you go from there?”
Her memoir “Just As I Am” which was released just two days before her death on Jan. 26, reached No. 1 on the New York Times’ Feb. 14 bestsellers list for hardcover nonfiction.
In one of her final interviews, she sat down with Gayle King where she spoke candidly about her legendary career and on how she would like to be remembered.
“I’ve done my best, that’s all,” Tyson said.
