Academy Award winning actress Ruby Dee has passed away in her New Rochelle, New York home. She was 91.
The stage and screen actress enjoyed a career that spanned seven decades.
Her representative Michael Livingston confirmed the news to CNN.
Dee hand her husband Ossie Davis were icons within both the civil rights movement and the performing arts community.
Born as Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1922, she took the surname Dee after marrying blues singer Frankie Dee two decades later. She divorced Dee after a short marriage and was wedded to Davis in 1948. Davis preceded his wife in death in 2005.
Dee earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in “American Gangster” (2007). She also won an Emmy and Grammy for other work.
Broadway star Audra McDonald paid tribute to Dee when she accepted a Tony Award last Sunday, crediting Dee, Maya Angelou, Diahann Carroll and Billie Holiday for making her career possible. McDonald won a best actress Tony in 2004 for playing the same role Dee played on Broadway in 1959 and in the 1961 film version of “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Her acting career started in New York in the 1940s, but it was her role in the 1950 movie “The Jackie Robinson Story” that first brought her national attention.
“We were blessed to have been by her side during her transition. We let her know that we loved her, that we love each other, and that if she let go, we would be OK,” The family said in a statement. “ We are honored by the rich legacy that she and our father left in our care. Our charge is to share the love and to remain worthy.”
Information from CNN.com contributed to this report.
