What was Cicely Tyson's net worth at the time of her death? Here's how she built her massive fortune
Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in the film 'Sounder', a Tony Award in 2013 at the age of 88 and touched many hearts in the TV series 'The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman', died on Thursday, January 28, at the age of 96.
The announcement for Tyson's death was made by her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details. “With heavy heart, the family of Miss Cicely Tyson announces her peaceful transition this afternoon. At this time, please allow the family their privacy,” said a statement issued through Thompson. According to reports, no cause of death was given.
Tyson had recently completed a memoir, 'Just As I Am', which was released a week before her death. As millions of tributes pour in on social media, here's a look at her fortune at the time of her death.
Cicely Tyson: Early Life
Tyson, who grew up poor in New York City, was a model who appeared on the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar before beginning her acting career. The Emmy- and Tony-winning actress, known for playing strong female Black protagonists in films such as 1974′s 'Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman' and 'Sounder', earned an Academy Award nomination for the latter in 1973 and an honorary 2018 Oscar. She has also bagged two Emmys for the former, a made-for-TV movie that made her a household name. To date, she has been nominated five times for guest actress in a drama series on the popular 'How to Get Away With Murder'.
'Sounder,' a film based on the William H Hunter novel, brought her immense stardom in 1972. Tyson was cast as the depression-era loving wife of a sharecropper (Paul Winfield) who is confined in jail for stealing a piece of meat for his family. She is forced to care for their children and attend to the crops.
What was Cicely Tyson's net worth?
Tyson ѕtаrtеd tо get nоtісеd duе tо hеr wоrk dоnе іn thе уеаr 1961 Оff-Вrоаdwау рrоduсtіоn mаdе fоr 'Тhе Вlасkѕ' аnd іt соntіnuеd fоr 1,408 реrfоrmаnсеѕ. She аlѕо реrfоrmеd іn mоvіеѕ such as 'А Маn Саllеd Аdаm' and аlѕо fеаturеd in 'Тhе Соmеdіаnѕ'. She was one of the winners of the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
At that ceremony, former President Barack Obama said: “Cicely’s convictions and grace have helped for us to see the dignity of every single beautiful memory of the American family.” According to Celebrity Net Worth, her net worth stands at $10 million dollars. However, according to Wealthy Persons, her net worth is approximately $12 million dollars.
Tyson didn't have any children and was first married to Kenneth Franklin, who abandoned her after 18 months, but it was formally dissolved in 1956. She then exchanged vows with jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1981 but the pair split in 1988. Until the very end, she was an active supporter of the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, New Jersey, a magnet school named after her in 2009.