When we think of iconic actress, Cicely Tyson, we can think of many wonderful words to describe her: the beautiful, wise, charismatic, bold, remarkable actress who brought to life some of the most emotional characters in the history of film, but never would we think of her as having a Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” moment.

If you recall, Cicely and late jazz icon, Miles Davis, were married from 1981 to 1988. It was during that time, according to Davis, that Ms. Tyson ended up losing her cool…ultimately beating the brakes off of a woman while she was at the height of her career!

WAIT ‘TIL U SEE WHAT MILES DAVIS REVEALED…

Below are the details of the Cicely Tyson beat-down incident Miles Davis described in his book, “Miles”:

Cicely’s ‘fist fight’:

Mikes Davis wrote, “Things started to get really bad with Cicely over an incident with a woman, a white woman, who was just a friend of mine. I had met her one day in the elevator of the building where Cicely and I lived on Fifth Avenue and 79th Street. It was in 1984, and I was on crutches from my hip operation. We just started talking and became friends. That was it. I would say hello and stop to talk with her whenever I saw her. Gradually Cicely got jealous of her. Finally one day she jumped the woman in broad daylight and beat her up. The woman had her seven-year-old son with her. Cicely thought I was going with the woman. But I wasn’t.”

Miles says Cicely pulled out his weave:

“Sometime later in 1986, right before a concert I was playing with B.B. King at the Beacon Theater in New York, Cicely and I had an argument and she jumped on my back and pulled my hair weave right out of my head. That was the last straw. We couldn’t stay together and even go out after that, but now when I look back on everything, I knew that was the beginning of the end. That shit got so crazy that someone, and I believe it was Cicely, called the National Enquirer and told them that I was having an affair with this woman that Cicely had beat up. The Enquirer called up my friend, but she wouldn’t talk to them. Cicely herself even tried to call up my friend, acting like a reporter from the Enquirer. Man, that sh*t got sick.”

It seems they made up soon after that, here’s what Miles did next:

“After a while, Cicely had to go to Africa, first to make a film, and then because she was Chairperson of the United Nations Children’s Fund 1985-86 and she had to tour the drought stricken areas over there. I bought her a Rolls Royce automobile as a present when she returned. When they delivered it, she couldn’t believe it. She thought someone was playing a joke on her.”
Now, before we make assumptions about Ms. Tyson’s temper, there is more to this story. They had a history of problems prior to this event. Miles explained that here…

“On Thanksgiving Day in 1981 Cicely and I got married at Bill Cosby’s house in Massachusetts by Andrew Young…It was a nice ceremony but if you look at the pictures of that wedding, you can see I was “real sick. I had that gray look of almost-death in my face. Cicely saw it. I told her I felt like I could die at any minute. During the summer, I had shot some dope in my leg and it had fucked it up…I even went to bed with a woman I knew five days after Cicely and I were married, because I didn’t feel that sex thing for Cicely anymore. I respected her as a woman and felt like she was a good friend to me, but I also needed that sex thing that I couldn’t get from her. So I got it in other places.”

Miles also said he loved Cicely very much and that he knew she loved him deeply. In fact, he said that she always was there to help him through his addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. She was the person he leaned on for support, but there was still jealously on both ends.

Miles described incident that involved the police being called to their home:

“Cicely was especially jealous of a woman taking her place in my life, but after a while she didn’t have no place in my life, even though she turned down a lot of movie offers just to stay around me. Cicely’s like two different women, one nice, the other one totally fu*ked up. For example, she used to bring her friends around any time she wanted, but she didn’t want my friends coming around. And she had some friends who I couldn’t stand. One time we argued about one friend in particular, and I just slapped the shit out of her. She called the cops and went down into the basement and was hiding there. When the police came they asked me where she was. I said, “She’s around here somewhere. Look down in the basement.” The cop looked in the basement and came back and said, “Miles, nobody’s down there but a woman, and she won’t talk to me. She won’t say nothing.”

“So I said, ‘That’s her, and she’s doing the greatest acting job ever.’ Then the cop said he understood-she didn’t look like she was hurt or nothing. I said, ‘Well, she ain’t hurt bad, I just slapped her once.’ The cop said, “Well Miles, you know when we get these calls we have to investigate.”
‘Well, is she’s beating my ass you gonna come with your guns ready too?’ I asked him.
They just laughed and left. Then I went down and told Cicely, ‘I told you to tell your friend not to call over here no more. Now if you don’t tell him, I’m gonna tell him.’ She ran to the phone and called him and told him, “Miles don’t want me talking to you anymore.” Before I knew it I slapped her again. So she never did pull that kind of shit on me again.”
[Source: “Miles” by Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe]

As you can see, they’re relationship was filled with turmoil. Cicely Tyson had to endure a lot of hardships at the hands of Miles Davis. It was likely wise for Cicely and Miles to divorce…maybe they were better off as friends and Ms. Tyson summed up their relationship best (which she referred to as ‘tumultuous’) in this interview with CNN’s Don Lemon:

Although they are two of the greatest entertainers to have ever lived, that does not automatically qualify them as being perfect in every aspect of their lives, nor should they have been expected to be, because that is simply unrealistic.

The post Miles Davis Revealed Why Wife Cicely Tyson Badly ‘Beat’ Woman During Their Rocky Marriage appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

In 1974, the world watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her ’60s/’70s TV show, “Julia.” Though many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she was a poor, single mother on welfare, raising six kids…she pulled it off, and Claudine forever went down in history as a ’70s cult classic film…BUT…

Initially, the film’s producers tried to convince Cicely Tyson to take the “Claudine” role. However, she turned it down, and there’s a very valid reason why Ms. Tyson couldn’t see herself playing such a character.

Cicely Tyson Kept It Real…

In a prior interview with her friend/actress, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson revealed she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she did not want to portray that type of ‘stereotypical’ character. Therefore, she declined…but there’s more:

Cicely Tyson: I had been offered a film [Claudine] that was well-written and ultimately well-produced. I read it and knew that it wasn’t something I could do because it was about a Black woman who was living with some man. They were not married. She had six children, illegitimate, with different men, and I knew that was not something that I wanted to do, so I passed. I was called by the producer and the writer of the movie, who asked why I was turning it down, and I explained that it wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to portray. The writer said, “But those ladies are out there.” I said, “Yes, I know, but there are a lot of other ladies out there. Doctors, lawyers. I want the world to know about those kinds of ladies. That’s what I want to do.” They finally decided that I was not going to do it and it went to another actress [Diahann Carroll] who did it and was nominated for an Oscar for it. They all said to me, “See, you could have had two Oscar nominations.” I said, “That’s what you would have been happy with, but not me.” Six weeks later, I got Jane Pittman. Had I been involved in doing this other movie, I would not have been available to play Jane.

That same year, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released. She played a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from a slave, to a free person at the end of the Civil War, and living well into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from “Claudine,” it can be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild after generations of oppression, and while trying to navigate through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare – have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So, both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances.

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Actress, Diana Sands (pictured above), was originally casted as “Claudine,” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones (“Roop”) were doing a love scene. Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, Sands discovered she had a terminal form cancer, leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann, take the part instead. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May each of these iconic women rest peacefully.

Source,  Source

The post Cicely Tyson Refused To Do Movie Diahann Carroll Starred In…And Boldly Explained Why appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When we think of iconic actress, Cicely Tyson, we can think of many wonderful words to describe her: the beautiful, wise, charismatic, bold, remarkable actress who brought to life some of the most emotional characters in the history of film, but never would we think of her as having a Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” moment.

If you recall, Cicely and late jazz icon, Miles Davis, were married from 1981 to 1988. It was during that time, according to Davis, that Ms. Tyson ended up losing her cool…ultimately beating the brakes off of a woman while she was at the height of her career!

WAIT ‘TIL U SEE WHAT MILES DAVIS REVEALED…

Below are the details of the Cicely Tyson beat-down incident Miles Davis described in his book, “Miles”:

Cicely’s ‘fist fight’:

Mikes Davis wrote, “Things started to get really bad with Cicely over an incident with a woman, a white woman, who was just a friend of mine. I had met her one day in the elevator of the building where Cicely and I lived on Fifth Avenue and 79th Street. It was in 1984, and I was on crutches from my hip operation. We just started talking and became friends. That was it. I would say hello and stop to talk with her whenever I saw her. Gradually Cicely got jealous of her. Finally one day she jumped the woman in broad daylight and beat her up. The woman had her seven-year-old son with her. Cicely thought I was going with the woman. But I wasn’t.”

Miles says Cicely pulled out his weave:

“Sometime later in 1986, right before a concert I was playing with B.B. King at the Beacon Theater in New York, Cicely and I had an argument and she jumped on my back and pulled my hair weave right out of my head. That was the last straw. We couldn’t stay together and even go out after that, but now when I look back on everything, I knew that was the beginning of the end. That shit got so crazy that someone, and I believe it was Cicely, called the National Enquirer and told them that I was having an affair with this woman that Cicely had beat up. The Enquirer called up my friend, but she wouldn’t talk to them. Cicely herself even tried to call up my friend, acting like a reporter from the Enquirer. Man, that sh*t got sick.”

It seems they made up soon after that, here’s what Miles did next:

“After a while, Cicely had to go to Africa, first to make a film, and then because she was Chairperson of the United Nations Children’s Fund 1985-86 and she had to tour the drought stricken areas over there. I bought her a Rolls Royce automobile as a present when she returned. When they delivered it, she couldn’t believe it. She thought someone was playing a joke on her.”
Now, before we make assumptions about Ms. Tyson’s temper, there is more to this story. They had a history of problems prior to this event. Miles explained that here…

“On Thanksgiving Day in 1981 Cicely and I got married at Bill Cosby’s house in Massachusetts by Andrew Young…It was a nice ceremony but if you look at the pictures of that wedding, you can see I was “real sick. I had that gray look of almost-death in my face. Cicely saw it. I told her I felt like I could die at any minute. During the summer, I had shot some dope in my leg and it had fucked it up…I even went to bed with a woman I knew five days after Cicely and I were married, because I didn’t feel that sex thing for Cicely anymore. I respected her as a woman and felt like she was a good friend to me, but I also needed that sex thing that I couldn’t get from her. So I got it in other places.”

Miles also said he loved Cicely very much and that he knew she loved him deeply. In fact, he said that she always was there to help him through his addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. She was the person he leaned on for support, but there was still jealously on both ends.

Miles described incident that involved the police being called to their home:

“Cicely was especially jealous of a woman taking her place in my life, but after a while she didn’t have no place in my life, even though she turned down a lot of movie offers just to stay around me. Cicely’s like two different women, one nice, the other one totally fu*ked up. For example, she used to bring her friends around any time she wanted, but she didn’t want my friends coming around. And she had some friends who I couldn’t stand. One time we argued about one friend in particular, and I just slapped the shit out of her. She called the cops and went down into the basement and was hiding there. When the police came they asked me where she was. I said, “She’s around here somewhere. Look down in the basement.” The cop looked in the basement and came back and said, “Miles, nobody’s down there but a woman, and she won’t talk to me. She won’t say nothing.”

“So I said, ‘That’s her, and she’s doing the greatest acting job ever.’ Then the cop said he understood-she didn’t look like she was hurt or nothing. I said, ‘Well, she ain’t hurt bad, I just slapped her once.’ The cop said, “Well Miles, you know when we get these calls we have to investigate.”
‘Well, is she’s beating my ass you gonna come with your guns ready too?’ I asked him.
They just laughed and left. Then I went down and told Cicely, ‘I told you to tell your friend not to call over here no more. Now if you don’t tell him, I’m gonna tell him.’ She ran to the phone and called him and told him, “Miles don’t want me talking to you anymore.” Before I knew it I slapped her again. So she never did pull that kind of shit on me again.”
[Source: “Miles” by Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe]

As you can see, they’re relationship was filled with turmoil. Cicely Tyson had to endure a lot of hardships at the hands of Miles Davis. It was likely wise for Cicely and Miles to divorce…maybe they were better off as friends and Ms. Tyson summed up their relationship best (which she referred to as ‘tumultuous’) in this interview with CNN’s Don Lemon:

Although they are two of the greatest entertainers to have ever lived, that does not automatically qualify them as being perfect in every aspect of their lives, nor should they have been expected to be, because that is simply unrealistic.

The post Miles Davis Detailed Why Wife Cicely Tyson Badly ‘Beat’ Woman During Their Rocky Marriage appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When we think of iconic actress, Cicely Tyson, we can think of many wonderful words to describe her: the beautiful, wise, charismatic, bold, remarkable actress who brought to life some of the most emotional characters in the history of film, but never would we think of her as having a Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” moment.

If you recall, Cicely and late jazz icon, Miles Davis, were married from 1981 to 1988. It was during that time, according to Davis, that Ms. Tyson ended up losing her cool…ultimately beating the brakes off of a woman while she was at the height of her career!

WAIT ‘TIL U SEE WHAT MILES DAVIS REVEALED…

Below are the details of the Cicely Tyson beat-down incident Miles Davis described in his book, “Miles”:

Cicely’s ‘fist fight’:

Mikes Davis wrote, “Things started to get really bad with Cicely over an incident with a woman, a white woman, who was just a friend of mine. I had met her one day in the elevator of the building where Cicely and I lived on Fifth Avenue and 79th Street. It was in 1984, and I was on crutches from my hip operation. We just started talking and became friends. That was it. I would say hello and stop to talk with her whenever I saw her. Gradually Cicely got jealous of her. Finally one day she jumped the woman in broad daylight and beat her up. The woman had her seven-year-old son with her. Cicely thought I was going with the woman. But I wasn’t.”

Miles says Cicely pulled out his weave:

“Sometime later in 1986, right before a concert I was playing with B.B. King at the Beacon Theater in New York, Cicely and I had an argument and she jumped on my back and pulled my hair weave right out of my head. That was the last straw. We couldn’t stay together and even go out after that, but now when I look back on everything, I knew that was the beginning of the end. That shit got so crazy that someone, and I believe it was Cicely, called the National Enquirer and told them that I was having an affair with this woman that Cicely had beat up. The Enquirer called up my friend, but she wouldn’t talk to them. Cicely herself even tried to call up my friend, acting like a reporter from the Enquirer. Man, that sh*t got sick.”

It seems they made up soon after that, here’s what Miles did next:

“After a while, Cicely had to go to Africa, first to make a film, and then because she was Chairperson of the United Nations Children’s Fund 1985-86 and she had to tour the drought stricken areas over there. I bought her a Rolls Royce automobile as a present when she returned. When they delivered it, she couldn’t believe it. She thought someone was playing a joke on her.”
Now, before we make assumptions about Ms. Tyson’s temper, there is more to this story. They had a history of problems prior to this event. Miles explained that here…

“On Thanksgiving Day in 1981 Cicely and I got married at Bill Cosby’s house in Massachusetts by Andrew Young…It was a nice ceremony but if you look at the pictures of that wedding, you can see I was “real sick. I had that gray look of almost-death in my face. Cicely saw it. I told her I felt like I could die at any minute. During the summer, I had shot some dope in my leg and it had fucked it up…I even went to bed with a woman I knew five days after Cicely and I were married, because I didn’t feel that sex thing for Cicely anymore. I respected her as a woman and felt like she was a good friend to me, but I also needed that sex thing that I couldn’t get from her. So I got it in other places.”

Miles also said he loved Cicely very much and that he knew she loved him deeply. In fact, he said that she always was there to help him through his addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. She was the person he leaned on for support, but there was still jealously on both ends.

Miles described incident that involved the police being called to their home:

“Cicely was especially jealous of a woman taking her place in my life, but after a while she didn’t have no place in my life, even though she turned down a lot of movie offers just to stay around me. Cicely’s like two different women, one nice, the other one totally fu*ked up. For example, she used to bring her friends around any time she wanted, but she didn’t want my friends coming around. And she had some friends who I couldn’t stand. One time we argued about one friend in particular, and I just slapped the shit out of her. She called the cops and went down into the basement and was hiding there. When the police came they asked me where she was. I said, “She’s around here somewhere. Look down in the basement.” The cop looked in the basement and came back and said, “Miles, nobody’s down there but a woman, and she won’t talk to me. She won’t say nothing.”

“So I said, ‘That’s her, and she’s doing the greatest acting job ever.’ Then the cop said he understood-she didn’t look like she was hurt or nothing. I said, ‘Well, she ain’t hurt bad, I just slapped her once.’ The cop said, “Well Miles, you know when we get these calls we have to investigate.”
‘Well, is she’s beating my ass you gonna come with your guns ready too?’ I asked him.
They just laughed and left. Then I went down and told Cicely, ‘I told you to tell your friend not to call over here no more. Now if you don’t tell him, I’m gonna tell him.’ She ran to the phone and called him and told him, “Miles don’t want me talking to you anymore.” Before I knew it I slapped her again. So she never did pull that kind of shit on me again.”
[Source: “Miles” by Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe]

As you can see, they’re relationship was filled with turmoil. Cicely Tyson had to endure a lot of hardships at the hands of Miles Davis. It was likely wise for Cicely and Miles to divorce…maybe they were better off as friends and Ms. Tyson summed up their relationship best (which she referred to as ‘tumultuous’) in this interview with CNN’s Don Lemon:

Although they are two of the greatest entertainers to have ever lived, that does not automatically qualify them as being perfect in every aspect of their lives, nor should they have been expected to be, because that is simply unrealistic.

The post Confessions: Miles Davis Disclosed Why Wife Cicely Tyson Badly Beat Woman During Rocky Marriage appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

In 1974, the world watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her ’60s/’70s TV show, “Julia.” Though many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she was a poor, single mother on welfare, raising six kids…she pulled it off, and Claudine forever went down in history as a ’70s cult classic film…BUT…

Initially, the film’s producers tried to convince Cicely Tyson to take the “Claudine” role. However, she turned it down, and there’s a very valid reason why Ms. Tyson couldn’t see herself playing such a character.

Cicely Tyson Kept It Real…

In a prior interview with her friend/actress, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson revealed she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she did not want to portray that type of ‘stereotypical’ character. Therefore, she declined…but there’s more:

Cicely Tyson: I had been offered a film [Claudine] that was well-written and ultimately well-produced. I read it and knew that it wasn’t something I could do because it was about a Black woman who was living with some man. They were not married. She had six children, illegitimate, with different men, and I knew that was not something that I wanted to do, so I passed. I was called by the producer and the writer of the movie, who asked why I was turning it down, and I explained that it wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to portray. The writer said, “But those ladies are out there.” I said, “Yes, I know, but there are a lot of other ladies out there. Doctors, lawyers. I want the world to know about those kinds of ladies. That’s what I want to do.” They finally decided that I was not going to do it and it went to another actress [Diahann Carroll] who did it and was nominated for an Oscar for it. They all said to me, “See, you could have had two Oscar nominations.” I said, “That’s what you would have been happy with, but not me.” Six weeks later, I got Jane Pittman. Had I been involved in doing this other movie, I would not have been available to play Jane.

That same year, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released. She played a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from a slave, to a free person at the end of the Civil War, and living well into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from “Claudine,” it can be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild after generations of oppression, and while trying to navigate through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare – have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So, both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances.

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Actress, Diana Sands (pictured above), was originally casted as “Claudine,” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones (“Roop”) were doing a love scene. Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, Sands discovered she had a terminal form cancer, leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann, take the part instead. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May each of these iconic women rest peacefully.

Source,  Source

The post Cicely Tyson Refused To Do Movie Diahann Carroll Was In…And Boldly Explained Why appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, today a true Queen has taken her final bow. The ever-so-graceful, iconic actress, Cicely Tyson, passed away today (January 28, 2021). Her manager, Larry Thompson, confirmed this heartbreaking news.

Although not much was revealed regarding Ms. Tyson’s death, here’s what her manager shared via CNN:

She was 96. A family statement did not reveal the cause of death.
“I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” Thompson said in a written statement.

Cicely Tyson’s New Memoir: “Cicely Tyson: Just As I Am”

Ms. Tyson was so full of life, and still working up through her last days. She even recently released her memoir about her amazing career and life, “Cicely Tyson: Just As I Am,” on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Her manager spoke about that as well:

“Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life,” Thompson said. “Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.”

“The Most Important Thing That Could Happen To Me”

As we all know, Cicely Tyson was the true definition of poise, grace, dignity, talent, bravery, and class. Her depth of acting ability showed no boundaries. We’ve watched her transform from a ‘school teacher’ in the comedy, “Bustin’ Loose,” alongside Richard Pryor; to a ‘former slave’ in the heart-wrenching drama, “The Autobiography of Jane Pittman,” to nearly every other type of role in between. However, Ms. Tyson once revealed that her most prized accomplishment was not on the big screen, but it was in fact a BIG accolade…as a result of her hard work on the big screen and beyond.

It was the day former President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal Of Freedom, which Tyson referred to as “the most important thing that could happen to me.”

“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history,” Obama stated as he was presenting the Medal to the acting icon.

Ms. Tyson was still in awe of that moment well after Obama draped the Medal Of Freedom around her neck:

“I am one of three children, grew up in the area that is now known as El Barrio and that was the East Side (of New York),” she confessed to Steve Harvey. “To come from there to the White House with the first black President … to put that medal around my neck: Where can you go from there?”

Thank You Ms. Tyson

Cicely Tyson’s resume’ runs lengthy, with her career starting out as a fashion model in the 1950’s, before becoming an actress by the 1960s. And as we’re all aware, fashion never left her personal make-up as a fashionista, she was always dressed fresh from head to toe well into her 90’s.

Thank you Ms. Tyson for the decades of grace you’ve displayed as a history setting African American woman, a profound talent, and genuinely good human at heart. Rest well, rest in peace, and rest in power, after a job well done here on earth.

The post Rest In Power: The Iconic Cicely Tyson Passes Away At 96, Her Manager Speaks Out appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When we think of the iconic actress, Cicely Tyson, we can think of many wonderful words to describe her: the beautiful, wise, charismatic, bold, remarkable actress who brought to life some of the most emotional characters in the history of film, but never would we think of her as having a Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” moment.

You see, sometimes we tend to forget that a great actress, like Ms. Tyson, is still a human being who has had to encounter some of the same problems as us regular folks.

If you recall, Cicely and the late jazz icon, Miles Davis, were once madly in love with each other and were married from 1981 to 1988. It was during that time, according to Davis, that Miles Ms. Tyson, as classy as she is, ended up losing her cool and beating the brakes off of a woman, while she was at the height of her career!

WAIT ‘TIL U SEE WHAT MILES DAVIS REVEALED ABOUT THIS…

Below are the details of the Cicely Tyson beat down incident Miles Davis described in his book, “Miles:

Cicely’s ‘fist fight’:

“Things started to get really bad with Cicely over an incident with a woman, a white woman, who was just a friend of mine. I had met her one day in the elevator of the building where Cicely and I lived on Fifth Avenue and 79th Street. It was in 1984, and I was on crutches from my hip operation. We just started talking and became friends. That was it. I would say hello and stop to talk with her whenever I saw her. Gradually Cicely got jealous of her. Finally one day she jumped the woman in broad daylight and beat her up. The woman had her seven-year-old son with her. Cicely thought I was going with the woman. But I wasn’t.”

Miles says Cicely pulled out his weave:

“Sometime later in 1986, right before a concert I was playing with B.B. King at the Beacon Theater in New York, Cicely and I had an argument and she jumped on my back and pulled my hair weave right out of my head. That was the last straw. We couldn’t stay together and even go out after that, but now when I look back on everything, I knew that was the beginning of the end. That shit got so crazy that someone, and I believe it was Cicely, called the National Enquirer and told them that I was having an affair with this woman that Cicely had beat up. The Enquirer called up my friend, but she wouldn’t talk to them. Cicely herself even tried to call up my friend, acting like a reporter from the Enquirer. Man, that sh*t got sick.”

It seems they made up soon after that, here’s what Miles did next:

“After a while, Cicely had to go to Africa, first to make a film, and then because she was Chairperson of the United Nations Children’s Fund 1985-86 and she had to tour the drought stricken areas over there. I bought her a Rolls Royce automobile as a present when she returned. When they delivered it, she couldn’t believe it. She thought someone was playing a joke on her.”

Now, before we make assumptions about Ms. Tyson’s temper, there is more to this story. They had a history of problems prior to this event. Miles explained that here…

“On Thanksgiving Day in 1981 Cicely and I got married at Bill Cosby’s house in Massachusetts by Andrew Young…It was a nice ceremony but if you look at the pictures of that wedding, you can see I was “real sick. I had that gray look of almost-death in my face. Cicely saw it. I told her I felt like I could die at any minute. During the summer, I had shot some dope in my leg and it had fucked it up…I even went to bed with a woman I knew five days after Cicely and I were married, because I didn’t feel that sex thing for Cicely anymore. I respected her as a woman and felt like she was a good friend to me, but I also needed that sex thing that I couldn’t get from her. So I got it in other places.”

Miles also said that he loved Cicely very much and that he knew she loved him deeply. In fact, he said that she always was there to help him through his addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol. She was the person he leaned on for support, but there was still jealously on both ends.

Miles described incident that involved the police being called to their home:

“Cicely was especially jealous of a woman taking her place in my life, but after a while she didn’t have no place in my life, even though she turned down a lot of movie offers just to stay around me. Cicely’s like two different women, one nice, the other one totally fucked up. For example, she used to bring her friends around any time she wanted, but she didn’t want my friends coming around. And she had some friends who I couldn’t stand. One time we argued about one friend in particular, and I just slapped the shit out of her. She called the cops and went down into the basement and was hiding there. When the police came they asked me where she was. I said, “She’s around here somewhere. Look down in the basement.” The cop looked in the basement and came back and said, “Miles, nobody’s down there but a woman, and she won’t talk to me. She won’t say nothing.”

“So I said, ‘That’s her, and she’s doing the greatest acting job ever.’ Then the cop said he understood-she didn’t look like she was hurt or nothing. I said, ‘Well, she ain’t hurt bad, I just slapped her once.’ The cop said, “Well Miles, you know when we get these calls we have to investigate.”
‘Well, is she’s beating my ass you gonna come with your guns ready too?’ I asked him.
They just laughed and left. Then I went down and told Cicely, ‘I told you to tell your friend not to call over here no more. Now if you don’t tell him, I’m gonna tell him.’ She ran to the phone and called him and told him, “Miles don’t want me talking to you anymore.” Before I knew it I slapped her again. So she never did pull that kind of shit on me again.”
[Source: “Miles” by Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe]

As you can see, they’re relationship was filled with turmoil. Cicely Tyson had to endure a lot of hardships at the hands of Miles Davis. It was likely wise for Cicely and Miles to divorce…maybe they were better off as friends and Ms. Tyson summed up their relationship best (which she referred to as ‘tumultuous’) in this interview with CNN’s Don Lemon:

Although they are two of the greatest entertainers to have ever lived, that does not automatically qualify them as being perfect in every aspect of their lives, nor should they have been expected to be, because that is simply unrealistic.

The post Confessions: Miles Davis Exposed Why Wife Cicely Tyson Badly Beat Woman During Rocky Marriage appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The year was 1974 when we watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her 60s/70s TV show, “Julia.” Although many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she would be a poor single mother on welfare, raising six kids, she pulled it off and Claudine forever went down in history as a 70’s cult classic film…BUT…

There was another very popular actress whom the producers of the film were trying to convince to take the “Claudine” role, but she turned it down for the very reason that we all fell in love with the film- she didn’t want to portray an unmarried African American woman  on welfare, raising six kids on her own.

Of course that’s not the only reason we loved the film, but seeing a representation of an unfortunate reality that many of us are faced with in our own families and communities, was a reality that was very relatable for us. Nonetheless, it’s understandable that this actress couldn’t see herself playing such a character. See who this strong willed, iconic actress is below…

So THAT’S Who Turned Down “Claudine” Role…

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It’s the beautiful Cicely Tyson! In a prior interview, Cicely revealed that she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she just did not want to take on that type of stereotypical role at that point in her career. Therefore, she declined.

We all know that Cicely would have nailed that character like no other, but now that we’ve seen Diahann kill it, it’s hard to imagine anyone else filling her shoes. The film would have felt totally different with any other actress loving on “Roop” (James Earl Jones’ character).

That same year in 1974, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released and her character was a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from being a slave to being a free person at the end of the Civil War and living into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

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While “Jane” was a far cry from the role of “Claudine,” it can also be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman, much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild, after generations of oppression and was still trying to navigate her way through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare- still have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- still represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances. Moving on…

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

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Another fact about the film, Claudine, is that Diahann wasn’t supposed to play “Claudine” either. Actress, Diana Sands, was originally casted as “Claudine” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones were doing a love scene and Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, it turned out that Sands had a terminal form cancer called leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann Carroll, take the part instead, and the rest is history. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May she continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

Source

The post Before Diahann, Another Iconic Actress Rejected “Claudine” Movie Over Stereotype appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Legendary actress, Marla Gibbs, is paying homage to a fellow Hollywood sis,’ Cicely Tyson, and we are loving the camaraderie between the two icons. Peep the “Jefferson’s” legend get her Instagram on below.

Gibbs Praises Cicely Tyson

Although Marla Gibbs has been in the acting game for 45 years and counting, she always gives credit where credit is due – especially to those who paved the way for her. That’s exactly what the “Florence” actress did when she showed her deep gratitude for Cicely Tyson’s latest accolade.

Ms. Tyson has been in the acting industry for 67 years and counting. Yet, it wasn’t until now, at age 93, that she’s getting her just due at the Oscar Awards and making history while doing so.

People magazine reported that Ms. Tyson ‘was announced as one of the recipients of this year’s honorary Oscars by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.’ That will make the renowned 93 year old actress the ‘first Black woman to receive an Oscar in the honorary award category’ at the Governor’s Awards. She will be presented the award during the Academy Awards ceremony.

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Question ILOSM fam’: Why is it 2018 and there is still room for any ‘first’ accolades to be bestowed upon Black people? Seems to me, that said accolades should have been given long ago, especially to Ms. Tyson who would run circles around MANY of her acting counterparts of all races, but I digress.

At any rate, here’s the beautiful post Marla Gibbs (87) shared about Cicely, who is 6 years her senior:

marlagibbs4real: I just love hearing news like this! Congrats sister Cicely on your Oscar award!! Much deserved and it’s #nevertoolate #cicelytyson ❤️🎥🙌🏾 #Repost @violadavis ・・・
Aaaahhh!!!! THIS gives me LIFE!!! Beyond deserved!!! Love, love you beauty❤❤❤

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnZjHoUh5IS/

Congrats to Ms. Tyson! Now she’ll finally be able to add her Oscar to the Tony, two Emmys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom awards she’s earned throughout the years.

(Video) Marla Gibbs Still Doing Her Thing Too

Speaking of actresses who deserve their proper…props, if you will, Marla Gibbs most definitely falls into that category. In recent years, the 45-year actor racked up a healthy list of acting credits. Her most recent role will be on an upcoming episode of the new Fox sitcom, “Rel,” which stars comedian/actor, Lil Rel, and co-stars comedy legend, Sinbad, and more.

Marla and Instagram-comedian-turned-Hollywood-actress, Jess Hilarious, had everybody crackin’ up with their recent post. Jess is also currently co-starring on “Rel” and she couldn’t wait to get some down time between takes to turn up with Ms. Gibbs for the ‘Gram. Jess even got so comfortable, that the F-bomb flew outta her mouth at the end, but Marla didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, she gave Jess and Lil Rell a shout out when she reposted the footage on her own IG:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm2X6RHFXwP/

marlagibbs4real: Had a great time today playing today with @jesshilarious_official and the cast on Lil Rel’s new show. Congrats @comedianlilrel on doin yo thang chile!! ・・・
FLORENCE IS THAT YOU!?? #TheJeffersons #MarlaGibbs

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm6JGo-FUQ2/

The “Rel” sitcom first premiered on September 9th and will be airing every Sunday, starting on September 30th at 9:30C on Fox.

The post Marla Gibbs Shows Major Love To Cicely Tyson After Long Overdue Accolade appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

#Grateful https://t.co/R1oNKFNKVU

— Cicely Tyson Just As I Am Fan Page (@IAmCicelyTyson) December 18, 2017

At the age of 93, Cicely Tyson still ceases to amaze us. The classy, ageless beauty, has made history in the acting world and it’s about time. Tyson has been working in film and television since her career kicked off over six decades ago. She is finally getting the credit that she deserves. Fifty years later, Cicely Tyson is getting some overdue recognition by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Cicely Tyson Makes History As First Black Woman To Receive An Honorary Oscar:

It goes without saying that Cicely Tyson is a legend. After years of putting in great work, she is finally getting the credit she deserves.

View this post on Instagram

#CecilyTyson to receive an Honorary Oscar, at age 93. She was nominated for a statuette once before in 1973 for her performance in Sounder.

A post shared by Stardom101 Magazine (@stardom101mag) on Sep 7, 2018 at 3:14pm PDT

Tyson began her career as a model and a theater actress with her first big screen role in 1968’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, starring actor Alan Arkin. Four years later, in 1972, the star received an Academy Award nomination for her leading performance in the film Sounder. While her performance was phenomenal, Tyson didn’t take home the win. Now, Tyson is finally bringing home the gold as it was announced that she is one of the recipients of this year’s Honorary Oscars.

According to Huffington Post, Tyson has already won prestigious awards such as a Tony, two Emmys, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, she can finally add Oscar to the list of her accomplishments. While we feel that it should have been done years ago, it’s good to see Tyson get the recognition that she deserves.

Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors. – John Bailey, Academy President

Many Celebrities Took To Social Media To Congratulate Cecily Tyson:

Cecily Tyson  will make history at the Governors Awards, as she is the first black woman to receive an Oscar in the honorary award category. Many celebrities took to social media to congratulate Tyson for being a trailblazer in the acting world. Tyson’s on-screen daughter , Oscar winner Viola Davis, was one of the first people to congratulate her. Cecily Tyson plays the role of Davis’ mother on ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.”

 

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Aaaahhh!!!! THIS gives me LIFE!!! Beyond deserved!!! Love, love you beauty❤❤❤

A post shared by Viola Davis (@violadavis) on Sep 6, 2018 at 11:50am PDT

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View this post on Instagram

Just YES. Congrats to a true trailblazer!

A post shared by Shonda Rhimes (@shondarhimes) on Sep 6, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT

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Queen doesn’t feel like a full enough word for the majesty and living legacy of #CicelyTyson. I mean, she is every goal, every dream, everything. xo pic.twitter.com/aQvA94o4wR

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 31, 2018

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So happy to see @IAmCicelyTyson included on this list of honorees! Bravo @TheAcademy! https://t.co/7IiFLUW1sR

— Debbie Allen (@msdebbieallen) September 6, 2018

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Congratulations @IAmCicelyTyson
#Oscars2019 https://t.co/Uv2f8P5kRZ

— Holly Robinson Peete‍♂️ (@hollyrpeete) September 7, 2018

Arguably one of the best actresses to ever do it, it’s beautiful to see Ms. Cecily Tyson get the respect she deserves.

The post At 93-Years-Young, The Legendary Cicely Tyson Finally Gets The Props She Deserves appeared first on I Love Old School Music.