Cicely Tyson, the award-winning actress, dies at 96

The award-winning film, television and stage actress, Cicely Tyson has died at 96. Notable for her roles in 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,' 'The Help' and Broadway's 'The Trip to Bountiful,' she built a successful career of value and profundity.

Tyson won three Emmy Awards, two for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and a Tony Award, among other honors, over the course of her acting career. She chose her roles very carefully, and refused to play unrealistic parts.

She also became the first African American star of a TV drama in the series East Side/West Side in the 1960s.Tyson was nominated for a best actress Oscar, Golden Globe in 1973 for Sounderand an Honorary Oscar in 2018.In 2016, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.

Obama took to Twitter and mourned the actress' demise. "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."

Tyson passed away on January 28, 2021.