# What a long and wonderful life she lead. RIP, Ms Tyson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [January 29, 2021, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731 "2021-01-29T00:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/1 "2021-01-29T00:50:17Z")
> **[Cicely Tyson, purposeful and pioneering actor, dead at 96](https://apnews.com/article/cicely-tyson-9a513c3b75e9cb3e6fc1327088cfd06b)** > > NEW YORK (AP) — Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane... ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/2 "2021-01-29T00:54:16Z")
Aw, man, Cloris Leachman yesterday, and Cicely Tyson today! RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/3 "2021-01-29T00:55:45Z")
I know! But you can’t be too distraught. What lives they lead! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/4 "2021-01-29T01:24:38Z")
RIP First black person to host SNL. Huh - never knew she was married to Miles Davis. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/5 "2021-01-29T01:40:26Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > First black person to host SNL. First black woman. Richard Pryor was the first black person, and several other black men hosted the show before Cicely. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/6 "2021-01-29T01:52:42Z")
I first saw _The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman_ in class at school, and I was riveted by it. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/7 "2021-01-29T02:03:21Z")
Ah, thanks. Double checking who I missed, I came across this interesting article ranking _SNL_’s black cast members. > **[The Undisputed Ranking of Every Black ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cast Member](https://level.medium.com/the-undisputed-ranking-of-every-black-saturday-night-live-cast-member-c1d0efbeb7ca)** > > There may be only 20 of them in the show’s 45-year history, but all deserve their flowers (pardon that hijack) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/8 "2021-01-29T02:24:32Z")
I first saw here here, when I was in jr. high. > **[The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Miss_Jane_Pittman_(film))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is an American television film based on the novel of the same name by Ernest J. Gaines. The film was broadcast on CBS on > Thursday, January 31, 1974. > Directed by John Korty, the screenplay was written by Tracy Keenan Wynn and executive produced by Roger Gimbel. It stars Cicely Tyson in the lead role, as well as Michael Murphy, Richard Dysart, Katherine Helmond, and Odetta. The film was shot in Baton Rouge,... I loved the film. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/9 "2021-01-29T08:38:09Z")
I will always remember her as Miss Jane Pittman. R.I.P. ---
**Author:** ![TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TiberiusNeroClaudius)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/10 "2021-02-01T15:07:46Z")
She was one of his favorite punching bags. Davis was a sick puppy. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-long-and-wonderful-life-she-lead-rip-ms-tyson/931731/11 "2021-02-01T15:20:05Z")
Yeah I knew he was a loser in that regard. Wonderful speaking voice though.