Della Reese's Chart

American nightclub, jazz, gospel, and pop singer; film and television actress; one-time talk-show hostess; and ordained minister, whose career spanned six decades. She is most memorable as a smoky voiced angel on a TV series that is unabashedly sentimental and inspirational, "Touched By An Angel" (1994-2003). The show barely survived the critics' scorn after its premiere but with very few modifications it went on to become a Nielsen Top 20. The youngest of six kids, Reese was singing in the choir at her local Baptist church by the age of six. When she was 13 she caught the attention of gospel diva Mahalia Jackson who hired the teenager to tour with her troupe. Over their three summers together she learned first hand about racial prejudice while touring. With the money she saved, she enrolled in a University in 1947 but dropped out the following year when her mom died. At odds with her dad, Reese moved out in 1949, making $23 a week singing at a Detroit bowling alley. At 19, she weighed 230 pounds which she trimmed down by losing 90 pounds. Two years later, in a contest, she won a club engagement where she was an instant hit. In 1954, Reese landed her first record contract. Three years later she released "And That Reminds Me," which sold over a million copies. Soon she was appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show and appearing in Las Vegas. Over the next 30 years, in addition to singing gigs, Reese was a regular on TV sitcoms such as "Chico and the Man," and "Charlie & Co." and did a few films, including "Harlem Nights" (1980). A graduate of a divinity school in Chicago, she was nonetheless tired of hearing about hell-fire, so she prayed for God to send her a minister. He told her to "do it yourself" so she became Minister of Understanding Principles for Better Living, Los Angeles, California, in 1983. With her hit show being filmed in Salt Lake City, she and her third husband, producer Franklin Lett, Jr. flew to L.A. weekly for her to deliver her Sunday sermon. She had met Lett in 1978 and they wed in 1983. From her two prior marriages she had an adopted daughter, Deloreese Daniels and an adopted son, James Barger. On 29 August 2016, nearly two months after she celebrated her 85th birthday, Reese was said to be in failing health, as she used a wheelchair, following two serious brain surgeries. She also admitted her suffering from type-2 diabetes. On Sunday night, 19 November 2017, Reese died at her home in Encino, California. She was 86.