LOS ANGELES – Actress and gospel singer Della Reese, who appeared for years in the “Touched By An Angel” television series, has died at the age of 86 at her home in California, her family said on Monday.
The actress “passed away peacefully at her California home surrounded by love” on Sunday, her husband, Franklin Lett, and her family said in a statement.
The statement was posted on the family’s behalf by Reese’s co-star, Roma Downey, on her Instagram page.
“Through her life and work she touched and inspired the lives of millions of people,” the statement added.
No cause of death was given but Reese had suffered from diabetes, which was diagnosed some 17 years ago.
Detroit-born Reese was trained as a gospel singer and first found fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s with pop and jazz hits like “Don’t You Know.”
By 1969, she had her own talk show “Della” — the first to be hosted by an African-American woman. She then landed roles in shows like “It Takes Two” and “Crazy Like a Fox.”
Her biggest part, however, was her role as the sarcastic supervisor angel Tess on the supernatural CBS TV series “Touched By An Angel,” which ran for nine years until 2003.
Reese also sang the title song “Walk With You.”
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Actress Della Reese is seen in 1991. Reese, the actress and gospel-influenced singer who in middle age found her greatest fame as Tess, the wise angel in the long-running television drama "Touched by an Angel," died at age 86. A family representative released a statement Monday that Reese died peacefully Sunday in California. No cause of death or additional details were provided. | AP
