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Della Reese, Music Legend And 'Touched By An Angel' Star, Dead At 86
Della Reese, Music Legend And 'Touched By An Angel' Star, Dead At 86
Photo Credit: Tony Esparza for CBS

Della Reese, Music Legend And 'Touched By An Angel' Star, Dead At 86

Della Reese, Music Legend And 'Touched By An Angel' Star, Dead At 86 Photo Credit: Tony Esparza for CBS

Singer and Touched by an Angel star Della Reese has passed away at the age of 86.

Reese died Sunday night in her home in California, according to a report from Variety.

"She was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and pastor, as well as an award-winning actress and singer. Through her life and work she touched and inspired the lives of millions of people," actress Roma Downey, Reese's co-star on Touched By an Angel said in a statement announcing Reese's death. "She was a mother to me and I had the privilege of working with her side by side for so many years on Touched by an Angel. I know heaven has a brand new angel this day. Della Reese will be forever in our hearts."

CBS, which was the home of Touched by an Angel, also issued a statement on Reese's death.

"For nine years, we were privileged to have Della as part of the CBS family when she delivered encouragement and optimism to millions of viewers as Tess on Touched by an Angel, CBS said. "We will forever cherish her warm embraces and generosity of spirit. She will be greatly missed. Another angel has gotten her wings."

Della first came to prominence with her 1959 hit song "Don't You Know," which went No. 1 and No. 2 in the R&B and pop charts, respectively. Ultimately, Della' music career led to her receiving four Grammy Award nominations. From there, Della transitioned into television and became the first black woman to host her own TV series, which was a talk show called Della.

However, her most notable role as an actress came thru Touched by an Angel, where she portrayed Tess, the angelic supervisor who sent other angels out on missions to help people redeem their lives. Della ended up serving as Tess for nine seasons.

Source: variety.com