Della Reese, Music Legend and 'Touched By an Angel' Star, Dead at 86

The legendary gospel singer and star of Touched By an Angel was 86 years old

By Jordan Runtagh

Della Reese, the vocal powerhouse who later starred as heaven-sent Tess on the television series Touched By an Angel, died Sunday evening at age 86.

She leaves behind sons James, Franklin and Dominique, as well as husband Franklin Lett. She was predeceased by daughter Deloreese.

“On behalf of her husband, Franklin Lett, and all her friends and family, I share with you the news that our beloved Della Reese has passed away peacefully at her California home last evening surrounded by love. 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,” her costar Roma Downey confirmed to PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

“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. Rest in peace, sweet angel. We love you.”

“We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Della Reese,” CBS tells PEOPLE in a statement. :She was a multi-talented, award-winning performer who shined brightly on soundstages and in concert halls. 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. We will forever cherish her warm embraces and generosity of spirit. She will be greatly missed. Another angel has gotten her wings.”

Born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931 in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, Reese began singing in public at just 6 years old at her local church, establishing her roots in gospel music. Her vocal talent flourished and by 13 she was tapped to perform with Mahalia Jackson’s gospel group, with whom she’d later tour.

Photo: CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection

She formed her own group, the Meditation Singers, in the late 1940s, but her exposure to jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan sparked a desire to broaden her musical scope. Now using her famous stage name, she signed a deal with Jubilee Records in 1953, releasing six albums largely composed of jazz standards.

National fame would come in 1957 with the release of “And That Reminds Me,” a Top 20 hit and her first global seller.

She followed it up with “Don’t You Know?” — which would become her signature song, and a string of hits including “Not One Minute More, “And Now,” “Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You),” and “The Most Beautiful Words.”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

In the late ’60s she began to expand her career from a jazz nightclub act to all-around entertainer by breaking into television. She became a familiar face on the small screen, securing guest spots on a host of shows, including The Mod Squad, The Love Boat, Sanford and Son, MacGyver, Night Court, and The Young and the Restless.

Her short-lived variety series, Della, debuted in 1969, and the following year she became the first black woman to co-host The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was after a Tonight Show appearance in 1979 that Reese suffered a brain aneurysm that nearly claimed her life.

Reese became an ordained minister in the 1980s through the Christian New Thought branch known as Unity, leading her to found her own church, Understanding Principles for Better Living (also known as “UP Church”).

Photo: CBS Photo Archive

She would draw on her faith for her most famous acting role, playing the part “supervising angel” Tess on the CBS series Touched By an Angel beginning in 1994. Though the show was initially met with mixed reviews, it went on to become a huge success, running until 2003. Tess’ playful sarcasm and no-nonsense attitude added something of a humorous edge to the wholesome show, and she became its most beloved character.

Reese was plagued with health problems later in life, including a battle with diabetes which she blamed on poor diet and exercise. Following two appearances on the television show Signed, Sealed, Delivered in 2014, she retired from acting.

First published at People, November 20, 2017

Vladimir Horowitz

Vladimir Horowitz. Photo courtesy Facebook

Known for his performances of the Romantic piano repertoire and his numerous recordings, he is remembered as one of the greatest piano virtuosi of all time.

Classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz died on this day in 1989 - aged 86.

A graduate of the Kiev Conservatory, Horowitz displayed such remarkable talent at a young age that he was invited to play for Alexander Scriabin in 1915, shortly before the composer-pianist’s untimely death. 

As a student, Horowitz favored composing over performing, but he made his concert debut in 1922 in what is now Kharkiv, only after his family was left impoverished by World War I and the Russian Revolution. His reputation in the Soviet Union was established at age 20 when he played an extraordinary series of 23 recitals in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg, Russia) without repeating any pieces– he showcased over 200 works. This achievement led to spectacular successes on European and American tours.

       

His renown expanded after he left for Germany in 1925, where he rapidly gained recognition as an extraordinary new talent, leading to performances in England and France.

Horowitz earned titles such as the "Liszt of our age" and a "virtuoso without limits" partly due to his prolific recording career, which began in the 1920s. Several of his recorded performances, including the 1930 rendition of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto and the 1932 recording of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, are now considered landmarks in classical music history.

His American debut came in 1928, and in 1945 he became a naturalized citizen. Every concert he gave was a momentous occasion.

In 1928, Horowitz made his American debut at Carnegie Hall, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Carnegie Hall would go on to become his home venue and the setting for many of his recordings.

In 1953, Horowitz stepped back from the intense public scrutiny surrounding him and largely avoided the spotlight. Instead, over the next 12 years, he recorded music and focused on studying new compositions.

His comeback was in 1965 at Carnegie Hall, this marked the beginning of a limited number of public recitals in the following years, primarily on Sunday afternoons at Carnegie. In the 1980s, he began to accept short trips outside the United States, traveling to Europe and Japan.

Dying of a heart attack in 1989, in New York City, he is buried in the Toscanini family tomb in Milan, alongside his wife Wanda Toscanini, the daughter of Arturo Toscanini. He is remembered as one of the greatest piano virtuosi of all time.

First published at The Violin Channel, November 5, 2017