Della Reese facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Della Reese
Reese in 1998
Born	Delloreese Patricia Early (1931-07-06)July 6, 1931 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	November 19, 2017(2017-11-19) (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Wayne State University (attended)
Occupation	Singer actress minister
Years active	1944–2014
Spouse(s)	Vermont Taliaferro ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1958)​ Leroy Basil Gray ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1961)​ Mercer Ellington ​ ​ (m. 1961; ann. 1961)​ Franklin Lett Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop jazz gospel traditional pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Jubilee RCA
Associated acts	Mahalia Jackson Erskine Hawkins Albertina Walker Aretha Franklin Dorothy Norwood Cissy Houston

Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early, July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an amazing American singer, actress, and minister. Her career lasted for over 70 years!

She started as a singer and had a big hit song called "Don't You Know?" in 1959. Later, she even had her own TV talk show called Della. Della also acted in movies like Harlem Nights and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. Many people know her best for her role as Tess in the popular TV show Touched by an Angel, which was about angels helping people.

Della Reese's Early Life

Della Reese was born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931. She grew up in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. Her dad, Richard, worked with steel, and her mom, Nellie, was a cook. Della grew up as an only child.

When she was six, Della started singing in church. This made her love gospel music. On weekends in the 1940s, she and her mom would watch movies. Della loved to act out scenes from the films afterward. In 1944, when she was 13, she began leading the young people's choir. She was also often chosen to sing on the radio.

At 13, she was hired to sing with Mahalia Jackson's gospel group. Della went to Cass Technical High School in Detroit. She kept touring and singing with Mahalia Jackson. In 1947, at age 15, she was the first in her family to graduate from high school.

After high school, Della started her own gospel group called the Meditation Singers. But her dad got very sick, and her mom passed away. Della had to stop going to Wayne State University to help her family. She moved out of her dad's house later. She took on many different jobs, like driving a truck, working at a dentist's office, and being an elevator operator. When she started performing in clubs, she decided to shorten her name to Della Reese.

Della Reese's Music Career

Reese, around 1961

Della Reese was discovered by the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. Her big chance came when she won a singing contest. This win gave her a week to sing at the famous Flame Show Bar in Detroit. Della ended up staying there for eight weeks!

Even though she started with gospel music, she began to love jazz. Singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday inspired her. In 1953, she signed a record deal with Jubilee Records. She recorded six albums with them. That same year, she joined the Hawkins Orchestra. Some of her first songs for Jubilee were "In the Still of the Night" and "Time After Time."

In 1957, Della released a song called "And That Reminds Me". This song became a big hit, selling over a million copies! That year, magazines like Billboard and Cashbox called her "The Most Promising Singer."

In 1959, Della moved to RCA Records. Her first song with RCA was "Don't You Know?" This song was based on music from an opera called La bohème. It became her biggest hit ever, reaching number 2 on the pop charts. It also topped the R&B charts and sold over a million copies. This song became her most famous song from her early career.

She released other successful songs like "Not One Minute More" and "And Now." In 1960, she released "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)". This song came from her album Della, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Della kept recording music throughout the 1960s. She released many singles and albums. The Classic Della (1962) and Waltz with Me, Della (1963) helped her gain fans around the world. She also recorded jazz albums like Della Reese Live (1966). She performed in Las Vegas for nine years and toured all over the country. In 1970, she released the album Black is Beautiful.

In 1986, Della formed a gospel group called Brilliance. They released an album, and Della received a Grammy nomination for the song "You Gave Me Love." She got another Grammy nomination later for her album Live! My Soul Feels Better Right Now (1998).

The famous Motown singer Martha Reeves said Della Reese was a big influence on her. Martha even named her group, the Vandellas, after Della Reese. In 2017, Della Reese was honored and added to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Della Reese's TV and Film Career

Reese appearing in a Kraft Foods commercial, 1977.

In 1969, Della Reese started acting. Her first TV show was a talk show called Della. It ran for 197 episodes. In 1970, Della became the first Black woman to be a guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

She appeared in many TV movies and shows. She was a regular on Chico and the Man. She also played the mother of B. A. Baracus in an episode of The A-Team. In 1991, she starred with her friend Redd Foxx in his last TV show, The Royal Family. Della also did voice work for the cartoon A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. In 1989, she acted alongside Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor in the movie Harlem Nights. She even had a fight scene with Eddie Murphy in the film! Della also appeared on the game show Match Game.

Guest Appearances on TV Shows

Della Reese had many guest roles on different TV shows. She appeared in shows like The Mod Squad, Police Woman, Sanford and Son (with Redd Foxx), and The Love Boat. She was also in MacGyver, Night Court, Designing Women, and Disney Channel's That's So Raven. She had a repeating role in It Takes Two.

Touched by an Angel

After her friend Redd Foxx passed away in 1991, Della wasn't sure about taking a role in the TV show Touched by an Angel. But she tried out for the part of Tess. She wanted it to be a one-time thing, but the network ordered more episodes. Many people thought Della was a big reason the show was so popular.

She starred with Roma Downey, who played Monica, an angel who worked with Tess. Della and Roma had great chemistry both on and off screen. Tess was the boss angel who sent other angels on missions. Their job was to help people and show them God's love. Tess was a strong and direct character. Della also sang the show's theme song, "Walk with You."

When the show started in 1994, some critics weren't sure about it. It had low ratings at first and was even canceled after 11 episodes. But fans wrote many letters, and the show was brought back! It became a huge hit for the next seven seasons. In 1997, Della said she might leave the show because she was making less than her co-stars. CBS then raised her salary. In 2000, she collapsed on set and had to go to the hospital. Touched by an Angel ended in 2003, but it still plays on TV channels today.

Della Reese's Personal Life

Della Reese was the godmother to Roma Downey's daughter, Reilly Marie. Della also led the wedding ceremony for Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

Family Life

Della's mother, Nellie, passed away in 1949. Her father, Richard, passed away ten years later. Della had an adoptive daughter named Delorese Daniels Owens, who was born in 1961. Delorese passed away in 2002.

Marriages

In 1952, Della married Vermont Adolphus Bon Taliaferro. She later used the stage name Della Reese for the rest of her life. In 1959, she married Leroy Basil Gray. This marriage ended later. In 1961, Della was briefly married to bandleader Mercer Ellington. In 1983, Della married Franklin Thomas Lett, Jr., who was a concert producer and writer.

Her Ministry

In the 1980s, Della Reese became an ordained minister. She founded her own church called Understanding Principles for Better Living, also known as the "Up Church." In her work as a minister, she was known as the Rev. Dr. Della Reese Lett.

Health and Passing

In 1979, Della had a serious brain problem during a TV show taping. But she made a full recovery after two surgeries. In 2016, after her 85th birthday, Della's health was not good. She had several surgeries. She said she had not taken care of her health for years, which led to her getting type 2 diabetes. After her last acting role in Signed, Sealed, Delivered, she stopped acting. Della sometimes used a wheelchair, but she tried not to use it too much.

Della Reese passed away at her home in Los Angeles on November 19, 2017. She was 86 years old.

Discography

Filmography

Movies

TV Movies

TV Series

Awards and Nominations

Della Reese received many awards and nominations throughout her career.

Awards

• 1994: Hollywood Walk of Fame: She got a star on Hollywood Boulevard for her work in Television.
• 1996–2002: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for Touched by an Angel (She won this award seven times!)
• 2015: Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
• 2017: Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame Award.

Nominations

• 1961: Grammy Award for her album Della.
• 1987: Grammy Award for the song "You Gave Me Love."
• 1997: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Touched by an Angel.
• 1997: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Touched by an Angel.
• 1997: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Touched by an Angel.
• 1998: Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Touched by an Angel.
• 1998: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Touched by an Angel.
• 1998: Grammy Award for her album Live! My Soul Feels Better Right Now.
• 2000: Annie Award for her voice acting in the animated movie Dinosaur.

See also

In Spanish: Della Reese para niños