Black Hollywood is in mourning. Esteemed actress, Suzzanne Douglas has died at the age of 64. Douglas is best known for her role as Jerri Peterson on Robert Townsend's The Parent 'Hood.
Listen to your favorite Classic Hits now on Audacy
The news broke via Angie Tee, a reported cousin of Douglas on Facebook. She wrote, "Suzzanne Douglas a beautiful and talented actress made her transition today. She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world. This beautiful soul was my cousin. 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. [...] The world will miss your talent but your soul will live on forever."
TMZ reported that Douglas passed away due to complications from cancer. Her husband, Dr. Roy Jonathan Cobb, expressed, "her energy and creativity will be missed by all."
As one of four children, Douglas was born in Chicago on April 12, 1957 and was raised by a single mother. As a child, she developed a love for the arts and cited The Sound of Music as the spark for her interest in acting. As an adult, she was a student at the Manhattan School of Music, in their Master's Program for Jazz Vocals and graduated with a Master's degree in Music.
Douglas was the first African American to star as Jenny Diver in The Threepenny Opera, alongside Sting. Her first leading role was in the film,Tap, where she was personally chosen by the film's leading man, the late Gregory Hines. She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance. Douglas also had several roles and appearances in notable films and television shows including The Parkers, Jason's Lyric, The Cosby Show, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and recently, Ava DuVernay's When They See Us.
DuVernay took to Twitter to share her sentiments on Douglas' passing. "Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made WHEN THEY SEE US. A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love," she wrote.
In addition to her film/tv credits, Douglas also had an extensive career in theater— appearing in countless Broadway productions including The Tap Dance Kid, It’s a Grand Night for Singing, Hallelujah, Baby!, Shakespeare’s Henry V, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Wit.
Reagan Gomez-Preston, who played Douglas' on-screen daughter in The Parent 'Hood, gave her sitcom mom virtual flowers this past Mother's Day. In light of her passing, she expressed, "I’m at such a loss. I was a Philly kid straight off the Greyhound bus who took a lot of things 4 granted. Watching you work & move gracefully from scene to scene…made me love & respect this business. Our talks…we had lots of them. You taught me so much. I will never 4get you."
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
