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Legendary Actress Cicely Tyson Dead at Age 96

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Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson has passed away Thursday at the age of 96. With a staggering body of work to her name, the groundbreaking actress will be dearly missed.

Larry Thompson, her manager, broke the news of the Oscar-nominated actress’ passing, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Tyson, known for her portrayal of strong women in compelling roles, got her start through modeling. She was noticed and soon became a lead model and progressed to stage productions, then television and film.

At first, her very religious family wasn’t on board, but after taking a chance and inviting her mother to one of her productions, their support increased.

“You cannot live here and do that,” her mother told her, Tyson told The New York Times in 2013. “I didn’t say anything to her, but I made up my mind that acting was something I had to do for myself, so I found another place to live.

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“My mother did not speak to me for two years. Refused to see me, refused to speak to me.



“And when I did my first play, an amateur production of Dark of the Moon at the Y in Harlem, I had the audacity to call my mother and invite her to come. And she did. And the moment I walked onstage, she thought she was whispering, but she said, ‘Oh, my God!’ and I heard her clear as day.

“And when it was all over, my mother was standing at the exit, accepting congratulations. Can you imagine?”

Tyson made a big impact in the acting world and paved the way for future African-American women in show business. She pioneered many firsts, including being the first African-American to win the lead actress Emmy Award for her portrayal of Jane Pittman in the 1974 TV movie “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”

Her other accolades include more than a dozen Emmy nominations, a supporting actress Emmy in 1994, an Academy Award, a best actress Tony, and dozens of nominations and wins at other awards ceremonies.

The renowned actress knew pretty early on that her place in acting would be revolutionary, and she decided to only accept roles she could respect.



“I saw that I could not afford the luxury of just being an actress,” she said. “So I made the choice to use my career as a platform to address the issues of the race I was born into.”

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“When I read a script: either my skin tingles or my stomach churns. When it tingles, I take it, and when my stomach churns, there’s no way I could possibly do it. No way.”

She also got a nod from then-President Barack Obama, who presented her within 2016 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history,” Obama said at the time.



“Cicely was never the likeliest of Hollywood stars,” he said. “But once she got her education and broke into the business, Cicely made a conscious decision not just to say lines, but to speak out.

“‘I would not accept roles,’ she said, ‘unless they projected us, particularly women, in a realistic light and dealt with us as human beings.’ … Cicely’s convictions and grace have helped for us to see the dignity of every single beautiful member of the American family.”

She was still making appearances on film and television until 2020, with her latest accomplishments including “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Cherish the Day” and the film “A Fall from Grace.”



Her memoir, “Just As I Am,” was published two days before her passing.

“With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon,” Larry Thompson said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. “At this time, please allow the family their privacy.”

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