Cicely Tyson
Hollywood stars like Viola Davis and Zendaya mourn
Viola Davis (l.) And Cicely Tyson at the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards
© imago / Picturelux
Hollywood reacts to the death of Cicely Tyson with great sadness. She first "paved the way" for women like Viola Davis and Oprah Winfrey.
The late Oscar winner Cicely Tyson (1924-2021) wasn't just a celebrated actress. In her nearly seven decades-long career, she also became an icon of the civil rights movement, fighting for the rights of African American women. Stars of different generations like Viola Davis (55), Oprah Winfrey (67) and Zendaya (24) say goodbye to the woman who "paved the way" for them on social networks.
Oscar and Emmy award winner Viola Davis published a touching photo with Tyson, in which women are hugging each other. She wrote: "I'm devastated. My heart is broken. I loved you so much! (…) You made me feel loved, respected and valued in a world" in which black actresses still feel would be disadvantaged. "You gave me permission to dream. (…) Thank you for changing my life." Tyson played Davis' mother in How to Get Away with Murder.
Generations thank her
Oprah Winfrey also shared a common image with the late Tyson. She was an "outstanding black woman" who "paved the way and built a bridge for me and future generations". "She used her career to show the humanity of black people. The roles she played reflected her values; she made no compromises."
The American singer and actress Zendaya belongs to one of these generations. She posted an old photo of Tyson on Instagram with the words: "That hurts. Today we honor and celebrate the life of one of the greatest. Thank you, Cicely Tyson. May you rest in great strength."
Mourning his "Roots" mother
"Star Trek" actor LeVar Burton (63) had the honor of calling Tyson his "mother": "Cicely Tyson was my first television mother. Elegance, warmth, beauty, wisdom, style and opulent grace. She was as majestic as possible. An artist of the highest quality, I will love her forever ", so Burton about a photo from the set the joint television series "Roots" from 1977.
Tyler Perry (51), who worked with Tyson for his film "A Fall from Grace" in 2020, saw in her "the grandmother I never had and the tree of wisdom under which I was always allowed to sit around my mug." to fill". It gives him great pleasure "to remember that she lived for 96 years and that I was allowed to be part of it for the last 16," he wrote on Instagram.
Other stars who are saying goodbye to Cicely Tyson include Shonda Rhimes, 51, Vanessa Williams (57), Blair Underwood (56) and Rosanna Arquette (61).