East Orange Mourns For Cicely Tyson: 'Forever In Our Hearts'

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange is mourning a pioneering actor who left a huge footprint in the city, Cicely Tyson.

Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper's wife in "Sounder," a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers' hearts in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," died Thursday at age 96.

Tyson's death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details. Read More: Cicely Tyson, Groundbreaking Award-Winning Actor, Dead At 96

The iconic actor was a big supporter of an East Orange school that was renamed in her honor, The New York Times reported.

The Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts, a magnet public middle school and high school, has an 800-seat theater built to Broadway standards.

On Thursday, East Orange city and school officials offered messages of thanks for the beloved thespian’s contributions.

According to a social media post from East Orange City Hall:

“Forever our own. What a legacy she has left behind. Our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. Cicely Tyson -- her grace, style, talent, beauty, sheer determination, humility, kindness, and most importantly, her passion and love for our children will always be in our hearts. May she rest in perfect peace.”

The East Orange Public School District said that the groundbreaking, award-winning actor, advocate and humanitarian will “forever be in our hearts.”

“Ms. Tyson, whose vivid portrayals of strong black women shattered racial stereotypes and opened the door for so many, will forever serve an inspiration for millions throughout the world,” administrators wrote online.

East Orange school officials continued:

“In 2009, our district’s very own Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts was named in her honor. Ms. Tyson was no stranger to our community as she visited quite frequently and taught acting classes whenever she could. Our hearts are certainly heavy as we mourn her transition. Ms. Cicely L. Tyson, our Queen – you will forever be in our hearts. Your legacy will live on forever in East Orange School District.”

Other mourners offered messages of sympathy online.

“Wow, this hit hard,” one person wrote on Twitter. “I went to Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, NJ for my freshman year of high school. What a legacy. What an incredible black woman. Rest In Power, Queen Cicely.”

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