Singer touched many as actress
DELLA REESE
LOS ANGELES — Della Reese, the singer and actress who found her greatest fame as Tess, the wise angel in the television drama “Touched by an Angel,” has died at age 86.
Reese’s series co-star, Roma Downey, said the actress died peacefully Sunday evening at home in the Los Angeles area. No further details were included.
“I know heaven has a brand new angel this day,” Downey wrote in her statement.
Before “Touched by an Angel” debuted in 1994, Reese was mainly known as a singer, although she had costarred on “Chico and the Man,” ‘’Charlie and Company” and “The Royal Family” and hosted her own talk show, “Della.”
“Touched by an Angel” was the story of an apprentice angel (Downey) and her supervisor (Reese) being sent to Earth to solve people’s problems. It became one of television’s highest-rated dramas and lasted until 2003.
Reese’s singing career began in church in her hometown of Detroit. Soon she was singing at other churches, at civic events and on the radio. When famed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson came to Detroit, she needed a singer to replace a member of her troupe and turned to Reese, who was only 13.
Jackson was so impressed that she had Reese tour with her for five summers. In 1953, Reese was booked to sing with Erskine Hawkins’ orchestra, and a recording contract followed. She quickly turned out two hits, “And That Reminds Me” and “Don’t You Know?” and began singing in the country’s best nightspots and appearing on TV variety shows.
In 1979 she was taping a segment of “The Tonight Show” when she fell to the floor, having suffered a brain aneurysm. She underwent surgeries that allowed her to resume a busy career as a TV actress.
Reese is survived by her husband and three children.