“Steel Magnolias” actress Carol Sutton has died of COVID-19 at the age of 76.
Sutton died on Thursday at the Touro Infirmary in her native New Orleans, where she was being treated for the disease. The news was announced in a statement from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Saturday, recognizing Sutton as a fixture in the local theater community for decades.
“The world may recognize her from her performances in movies and on TV — whether it’s ‘Treme’ or ‘Claws,’ or ‘Runaway Jury’ or ‘Queen Sugar’ — but we will always remember her commanding stage presence, her richly portrayed characters, and the warm heart she shared with her fellow cast and crew in productions such as ‘4000 Miles’ and ‘A Raisin in the Sun,’” Cantrell said. “May she rest in God’s perfect peace.”
As a TV actress, Sutton most recently appeared on HBO’s “Lovecraft County” and OWN’s “Queen Sugar.” Ava DuVernay paid tribute to Sutton on Twitter on Friday, calling it an “honor” to have the actress on her show. “We bless her. May she rise and rest in peace and power,” she wrote.
Sutton’s other film and TV credits include “Monster’s Ball,” History’s “Roots” remake, “Ray,” “The Help,” “Tremé” and “True Detective.”
According to NOLA.com, Sutton’s survivors include “a son, Archie Sutton Jr. of Houston; a daughter, Aunya Sutton of New Orleans; a brother, Oris Buckner of Houston; a sister, Adrienne Jopes of Houston; and five grandchildren.”