He said the legacy can be best measured by the barriers she
broke and the dreams she made possible.
In a tribute on Thursday, Obama said of the 96 year-old
Cisely as “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”.
Cisely Tyson who had almost an eight decade career in
Hollywood died on Thursday in California.
Her manager, Larry Thompson, confirmed her death in a
statement that called working with her “a privilege and a blessing.”
“I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and
each year was a privilege and blessing,” Thompson said in a written statement.
Tributes from across the globe have since been pouring in for Tyson, including moving tributes by Barack and Michelle Obama.
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| Actress Cicely Tyson (R) is greeted by U.S. President Barack Obama (L) after she was presented with an honorary degree during the 2016 commencement ceremony at Howard University May 7, 2016 in Washington, DC. President Obama is the sixth sitting U.S. president to deliver the commencement speech at Howard University. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) |
Taking to his social media to share the tribute, Obama wrote:
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.Cicely wasn’t exactly destined for Hollywood. When she was a child, her mother?—?a hardworking and religious woman who cleaned houses?—?didn’t even let her go to the movies.
But once Cicely got her education, she made a conscious
decision not just to say her lines but to speak her truth.At a time when parts
for actors who looked like her weren’t easy to come by, she refused to take on
roles that reduced Black women to their gender or their race. Sometimes, that
meant she would go years without work. But she took pride in knowing that
whenever her face was on camera, she would be playing a character who was a
human being?—?flawed but resilient; perfect not despite but because of their
imperfections.
Across all of her performances, in legendary productions
ranging from “Sounder” to “The Trip to Bountiful” to “The Autobiography of Miss
Jane Pittman,” she helped us see the dignity within all who made up our
miraculous?—?and, yes, messy?—?American family.
Michelle and I were honored when Cicely came to the White
House to accept the Medal of Freedom, knowing she was one of the many giants
upon whose shoulders we stood?—?a trailblazer whose legacy couldn’t be measured
by her Emmys and Tony and Oscar alone, but by the barriers she broke and the
dreams she made possible.We are sending our thoughts and prayers to every
member of Cicely’s family and to all of those who loved her. And while we are
saddened that her heart finally came to a rest today, there is comfort in
knowing that she will always live on in ours.
Also taking to her social media, Michelle Obama wrote:
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.
She was the personification of beauty, grace, wisdom, and
strength, carrying forward a flame that not only guided her for 96 pathbreaking
years but lit the way for so many of us. I’ll miss her dearly, but I smile
knowing how many people she inspired, just like me, to walk a little taller,
speak a little more freely, and live a little bit more like God intended.
Other celebrities and well-known personalities also expressed their love and gratitude to Tyson for her immense contribution to the American and global entertainment industry. She's particularly celebrated for the barriers she was able to break as a black woman in film, and the positive impact that had for black women following in her footsteps.