Remembering Della Reese
 |
By the time it was over Vera, played by Ms Reese had won my heart with her humor and most tender drama and it was then I decided I needed to reevaluate what I considered to be important in performance arts.
It was truly an eye opening experience with her portraying a madam in a bordello with period costumes and the entire ten yards to include a quiet concerned motherly side for the character portrayed by Eddie Murphy.
Then in 1994 there was the television drama Touched by an Angel, a series about angelic intervention in the lives of people featuring Ms Reese along with Roma Downey, John Dye, and Valerie Bertinelli who are angels on various missions impacting the mortals to whom they are charged.
She played the experienced angelic being Tess and some of those episodes featured favorite moments of mine during the time frame.
I followed this program as my schedule permitted and the moments were on a par with other such offerings. Having a religious streak I've tried not to lose over the years I am naturally attracted to such theatrical material as a matter of personal interest.
Delloreese Patricia Early aka Della Reese performed jazz and gospel music, was a insightful actress with impeccable timing and style of performance, and enjoyed a productive career of 70 some odd years. She was one of the true ensemble greats during her lifetime.
Ms Reese passed at home in Los Angeles at the age of 86 on this day in 2017; likely from natural causes though she did suffer from adult onset diabetes. Rest in peace.