Ava DuVernay, Jada Pinkett Smith pay tribute to actress Suzzanne Douglas: 'A quiet, elegant force'

Suzzanne Douglas, the actress known for her work on the sitcom The Parent 'Hood and in films like Tap and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, has reportedly died at 64.

Douglas' cousin, Angie Tee, confirmed her death in a Facebook post, remembering her as a "beautiful and talented" actress who "warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world," as reported by Essence.

Douglas starred as Jerri Peterson on The WB's The Parent 'Hood, and she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for starring in Tap with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. Her other credits include How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Inkwell, and The Cosby Show, and most recently, she had a role on Ava DuVernay's miniseries When They See Us.

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"I can remember growing up, there weren't very many black actresses who had starring roles but there was my cousin with the lead role in Tap starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.," Douglas' cousin Angie Tee wrote on Facebook "... The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever Rest in Paradise my beautiful cousin Suzzane you will be missed RIP."

DuVernay honored Douglas as a "quiet, elegant force" on When They See Us, adding that she was a "confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer" and that "I'm grateful that our paths in this life crossed." Jada Pinkett Smith, who worked with Douglas on The Inkwell, also honored her, writing, "She was an elegant, gentle warm spirit. My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. May she rest in love."