‘Sparkle’ And ‘A Different World’ Actress Mary Alice Dies

She was 85.

Mary Alice, actress, death, Tony award, Emmy award, A Different World, Sparkle, Fences, movies, Broadway, shows

Tony and Emmy-winning actress Mary Alice died, according to NPR. A New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed that she died of natural causes in her New York home on July 27.

For over 60 years, Alice pursued a career in acting, having appeared in many Broadway productions like The Shadow Box

, Having Our Say, and won a Tony award for the best-featured actress for her portrayal of Rose Maxson in Fences. She earned an Obie Award in 1979 for her role in the off-Broadway production of Julius Caesar.

Along with her on-stage performances, Alice entertained on-screen as well. She was known for her role as Leticia “Lettie” Bostic in The Cosby Show spin-off, A Different World, and as Marguerite Peck in the series, I’ll Fly Away, a show that landed her an Emmy Award for Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Alice portrayed many roles in dozens of films, as well. She played Cora in the 1984 movie Beat Street, Effie in the 1976 version of Sparkle, Mattie in The Wishing Tree, Lottie in a Perfect World, and the Oracle in 2003 The Matrix Revolutions.

Alice was born in Indianola, Mississippi, in 1936. Before moving to New York to become an actress, Alice was a schoolteacher in Chicago for several years.

Many took Twitter in response to the news of her death.

Rest in peace, Mary Alice.