Hollywood legend and The Help star Cicely Tyson dies aged 96. Hollywood veteran and The Help star Cicely Tyson has died at 96, just days after giving a moving TV interview about her final wishes. Groundbreaking Black icon Cicely Tyson releases memoir 'Just As I Am,' while Joan Didion fans are treated to a new essay collection. Literary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in this intimate documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne. Director: Griffin Dunne Stars: Hilton Als, Tom Brokaw, Dick Cheney, Jim Didion.
Each month, for your literary listening pleasure, our friends at AudioFile Magazine bring us the cream of the audiobook crop. This month’s haul of wondrous audiobooks includes Cicely Tyson’s Just As I Am (read by the author, Viola Davis, and Robin Miles), Mateo Askaripour’s Black Buck (read by Zeno Robinson), and Joan Didion’s Let Me Tell You What I Mean (read by Kimberly Farr). “Just As I Am,” by Cicely Tyson (HarperCollins, nonfiction, on sale Jan. 26) What it’s about: The award-winning actress, nonagenarian and groundbreaking Black icon reflects on her life and long career in this meditative memoir. The buzz: “A forthright self-portrait of a determined woman and iconic cultural figure,” Kirkus Reviews.
This interview aired on US television just days before Tyson's death....
This interview aired on US television just days before Tyson's death.
Cicely Tyson has passed away. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images
Veteran actress Cicely Tyson has died at the age of 96.
Tyson, who starred as Constantine Jefferson in the 2011 smash hit The Help, died just days after the publication of her long-awaited memoir, Just As I Am. A career-spanning interview to promote the book had aired on US television earlier this week, showing the actress appearing in good health:
Cicely Tyson's final TV interview.Source:Twitter
It was an emotional interview, as Tyson opened up to TV host Gayle King about the highs and lows of her career - including a traumatic sexual assault she suffered from a well-known acting coach at the start of her career.
“You know, I never shed a tear about that until this moment,” Tyson told her interviewer as she became choked up.
King asked Tyson several questions touching on her age and mortality. Tyson insisted she felt she had more to do in this life: “That’s why I’m still here.”
Asked how she’d like to be remembered, she remarked simply: “I’ve done my best. That’s all.”
Tyson had scored a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 1972 for her work in the film Sounder, and more recently won a Tony Award in 2013 at the age of 88.
Other standout roles include starring in the 1974 TV movie The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, 1981’s The Marva Collins Story and the 1991 hit movie Fried Green Tomatoes.
Tyson’s death was announced by her manager Larry Thompson, who did not provide additional details.
Tyson accepts an honorary Oscar in 2018. Picture: Robyn BECK / AFPSource:AFP
“With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time, please allow the family their privacy,” a statement from Thompson read.
Cicely Tyson in The Help.Source:Supplied
Tyson had a pivotal role in the 2011 smash hit.Source:Supplied
What Happened To Joan Cicely Tyson's Daughter
Other recent roles from Tyson included a 10-episode stint in How To Get Away With Murder, three episodes of House of Cards, and an award-winning performance in the 2005 film Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
Tyson’s glamorous red carpet appearances also made headlines in recent years, as celeb watchers marvelled at her youthful appearance – here she is in 2016, aged 91:
In 2016. Picture: GettySource:Getty Images
And three years later, walking the Academy Awards red carpet aged 94:
Jean Tyson Cicely Tyson's Daughter
At the 2019 Oscars. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
In 2016, then-President Barack Obama awarded Tyson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour for civilians in the United States:
Tyson and Obama share a moment. Picture: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Last year Tyson was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and remained active up until her death, with interviews for her new memoir airing on television earlier this week.
She married twice: for 12 years to Kenneth Franklin in 1942, then again to legendary jazz musician Miles Davis from 1981-1989. While many outlets reported she had no children, she referred to a daughter called Joan in her new memoir.
Tributes are flowing for the Hollywood trailblazer:
of course i have a photo of rosa parks and cicely tyson pic.twitter.com/1x5wvHHtRE
— nadirah (@hinadirah) January 29, 2021wow cicely tyson icon pic.twitter.com/SV8m2UyQ39
— ziwe (@ziwe) January 29, 2021This one hurts, today we honor and celebrate the life of one of the greatest to ever do it. Thank you Cicely Tyson. Rest in great power. pic.twitter.com/vwchWT5512
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) January 29, 2021Sleep in eternal peace Ms. Cicely Tyson🙏🏽😢 my God, we expect the legends to live forever! 96 is a long life lived. May your legacy live!❤️ if you know me you know I’ve always been a true fan. pic.twitter.com/BqxNT1D5PJ
— Jamaal Searcy M.S.Ed. (@jsearcyyy) January 29, 2021
Cicely Tyson was a force of nature and and a transcendent voice and talent. There is no way to fully capture how much she meant to the world. Sleep well, queen. pic.twitter.com/MDp9LR8CSb
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) January 29, 2021Rest in power, Cicely Tyson. pic.twitter.com/AbwD7AbaVI
— Quise. (@MarquiseDavon) January 29, 2021News of Tyson’s death comes just a day after Hollywood mourned the passing of another screen legend - comedian and Oscar-winner Cloris Leachman, who died aged 94.