Emmy-winning ‘Roots’ star Olivia Cole dies in Mexico at the age of 75

LOS ANGELES » Olivia Cole, who won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Matilda, wife to Chicken George in the landmark miniseries “Roots,” has died, a burial association executive said. She was 75.

Cole died last Friday at her home in San Miguel de Allende, a central Mexico city, said Linda Cooper, executive secretary of the 24 Horas de San Miguel de Allende cremation and burial group.

The cause of death was a heart attack, Cooper said Thursday.

Cole received an Emmy Award for her role in ABC’s smash hit 1977 drama based on African-American writer Alex Haley’s book “Roots,” which dramatized the lives of his ancestors from West Africa to slavery and postCivil War.

She was the first African-American to win in the Emmy category of best supporting actress in a miniseries.

In the late 1970s, Cole reportedly lamented that Hollywood failed to respond to “Roots” with more opportunities for black actors and actresses. She wasn’t alone.

“You’d think somebody might have followed up with stories about other black families and experiences. Nobody followed up,” series executive producer David L. Wolper told The Associated Press in 2002, on the drama’s 25th anniversary.

Ben Vereen played Chicken George in the ensemble cast that also included LeVar Burton, Leslie Uggams, Cicely Tyson, Madge Sinclair and

PHOTO BY CHARLES SYKES — INVISION — AP, FILE In this file photo, actress Olivia Cole, who starred in the original TV series “Roots,” attends the premiere of History Channel’s updated “Roots” mini-series in New York.