Former US President Barack Obama remembered fashion model and actress Cicely Tyson, who passed away at age of 96 on Thursday.
Obama took to his official Twitter handle and posted a throwback photo featuring Cicely and his wife Michelle Obama and said, “In her extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson was one of the rare award-winning actors whose work on the screen was surpassed only by what she was able to accomplish off of it.”
“She had a heart unlike any other—and for 96 years, she left a mark on the world that few will ever match.”
Michelle Obama also took to her Instagram and shared photos with Cicely and wrote, “What struck me every time I spent time with Cicely Tyson was not necessarily her star power—though that was evident enough—it was her humanity.”
“Just by walking into a room, she had this way of elevating everyone around her. She was the personification of beauty, grace, wisdom, and strength, carrying forward a flame that not only guided her for 96 pathbreaking years but lit the way for so many of us.”
“I’ll miss her dearly, but I smile knowing how many people she inspired, just like me, to walk a little taller, speak a little more freely, and live a little bit more like God intended.”