Veteran Actress Cicely Tyson is dead

Cicely Tyson, the iconic actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” died Thursday at age 96.

Tyson’s death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details.

“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.

Tyson died two days after her memoir Just as I Am was published. She gave her last interviews about the book, including a sit-down with Gayle King, this week.

Saluted with an honorary Academy Award at the Governors Awards in November 2018, Tyson became the first African American to win a lead actress Emmy Award when she was recognized for her astonishing performance as a woman who ages from 23 to 110 — from the 1850s to the civil-rights era — in the 1974 CBS telefilm The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Barrack Obama, Michelle Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Micheal B Jordan, Zendaya, Amanda Gorman, Gayle King, Tika Sumpter, Levar Burton, Sherri Shepherd, Robin Thede, Martin Luther King III, Tyler Perry, and many others have taken to their respective social media accounts to pay tributes to the actress.

‘In her extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson was one of the rare award-winning actors whose work on the screen was surpassed only by what she was able to accomplish off of it. She had a heart unlike any other—and for 96 years, she left a mark on the world that few will ever match,’ Former US president, Barrack Obama wrote on Twitter.

In her extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson was one of the rare award-winning actors whose work on the screen was surpassed only by what she was able to accomplish off of it. She had a heart unlike any other—and for 96 years, she left a mark on the world that few will ever match. pic.twitter.com/JRsL3zlKtP

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 29, 2021

What struck me every time I spent time with Cicely Tyson was not necessarily her star power—though that was evident enough—it was her humanity. Just by walking into a room, she had this way of elevating everyone around her. pic.twitter.com/o6VAV63wqd

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 29, 2021

Rest in power, Cicely Tyson. Thank you for your life, your love, your light ??

— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) January 29, 2021