Actress Suzzanne Douglas died Tuesday, according to multiple reports. She was 64 years old.
Angie Tee, a woman identified by Essence as Douglas’ cousin, wrote on Facebook Tuesday, “Suzzanne Douglas a beautiful and talented actress made her transition today. She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world. This beautiful soul was my cousin.”
She went on, “I can remember growing up, there weren’t very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in ‘Tap’ starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. She also performed with Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg in ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back.’ The Inkwell, Jason’s Lyric and so much more the list goes on. The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever.”
Douglas is best known for her starring role in the show, “The Parent ‘Hood.” Her co-star from that program, Reagan Gomez, retweeted some of her own old tweets honoring Douglas and her work on Tuesday.
Elsewhere on Twitter, fans paid tribute to Douglas, highlighting her looks, her talent and her variety of roles.
Director Ava DuVernay wrote, “Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made ‘WHEN THEY SEE US.’ A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love.”