In context
- When
- Thursday, January 28 20215 years ago
- Category
- DeathA notable person who died on this day.
- Era
- 21st century · 2020s
- Anniversary
- 5th in 2026
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
- Person
- Cicely Tyson
At a glance
Born 1924-12-19; died 2021-01-28.
Known as: stage actor, film actor, television actor, model, and voice actor. Citizenship: United States.
Listed as: human.
Who they were
Personal life Marriages and relationships Davis and Tyson in 1982 At the age of 18, Tyson married Kenneth Franklin on December 27, 1942. [ 1 ] They had a daughter two months later, in February 1943. [ 2 ] According to her divorce decree, her husband abandoned her on June 18, 1944. The marriage was formally dissolved in 1956. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] She was in a relationship with her Sounder co-star Paul Winfield , living with him for about 18 months in the early 1970s. [ 5 ]
Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson was an American actress. In a career spanning seven decades, she portrayed complex and strong-willed African American women. She received several awards including three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. She was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2018.
Early life
Early life Tyson was born on December 19, 1924, in the Bronx , New York City, but soon relocated with her family to East Harlem . [ 1 ] She was one of three children born to Fredericka (Huggins) Tyson, a domestic worker, and William Augustine Tyson, who worked as a carpenter and painter. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Her parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies . [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919. [
Path and career
Awards / honours: Spingarn Medal, Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, Candace Award, and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Career 1956–1969: Rise to prominence Tyson in 1973 Tyson was discovered by a photographer for Ebony magazine and became a successful fashion model. Her first acting role was a bit part in the 1956 film Carib Gold [ 1 ] and she first appeared onstage in Vinnette Carroll 's production of Dark of the Moon at the Harlem YMCA in 1958. [ 2 ] Tyson had small roles in the 1959 films Odds Against Tomorrow and The Last Angry Man , as well as the 1960 comedy, Who Was That Lady? [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
Why this date
Cicely Tyson appears on our January 28 calendar for 2021 as a death entry.
January 28 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1986Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
- 1986Space Shuttle program
- 1988R v Morgentaler
- 2002TAME Flight 120
- 2006Katowice International Fair
- 20212021 Georgia poultry plant accident
- 2021Cicely Tyson
- 2023Tyre Nichols protests
- 20262026 Rubaya mines collapses
- 2026Storm Kristin
- 2026Learjet 45
Also in 2021
- March 14TatmadawThe Burmese military and police forces killed at least 65 civilians during the Hlaingthaya massacre in Yangon, including those protesting…
- March 14Hlaingthaya massacreBurmese security forces kill at least 65 civilians in the Hlaingthaya massacre.
- September 12Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51 crashes short of the runway at Kazachinskoye Airport, killing four.
- September 162021 Luxian earthquakeA 6.0 Mw earthquake strikes Lu County, Sichuan, China, killing three and injuring more than 88.
- September 16Inspiration4Inspiration4, the first private orbital crewed spaceflight, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
- September 5Alpha CondéThe President of Guinea, Alpha Condé is captured by armed forces during a coup d'état.
- August 142021 Haiti earthquakeA magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in Haiti, killing at least 2,248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damages and economic loss.
- November 5Astroworld Festival crowd crushThe Astroworld Festival crowd crush results in 10 deaths and 25 people being hospitalized
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Cicely Tyson”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/cicely-tyson-2021-january-28, accessed October 28, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did Cicely Tyson happen?
January 28 2021 — 5 years ago, on a Thursday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
One entry a day, by email
The standout entry each morning. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.