In Memory of 'Touched By An Angel' TV Star Della Reese: 7 Years After Her Tragic Death

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It’s been seven years since the tragic death of actress Della Reese. Best known for her beloved role supervising angel Tess on TV’s Touched By an Angel (CBS, 1994 to 2003), Reese was 86 when she died. This is her story.

A Closer Look

Della Reese was born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood. She began her career by singing gospel music at 6 years old at her local church. By her teens, Reese was performing with Mahalia Jackson.

In the late 1940s, Reese founded the Meditation Singers but, inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, she expanded into more mainstream music.

In 1957, Reese had a Top 20 hit with “And That Reminds Me.”

Her professional singing career, which spanned the ’50s and ’60s, reached a peak in 1959 with her #1 R&B and #2 pop hit “Don’t You Know.” Reese inched her way into acting, one roll at a time, landing regular appearances on several programs in the 1970s.

Then She Was Touched By An Angel

Following several years of acting in movies and on TV shows such as Chico and the Man, Della Reese finally had a massive small-screen hit with Touched By An Angel.

The show, also starring Roma Downey, and John Dye, was canceled after its first years, only to be brought back by a massive letter-writing campaign by fans.

The series continued for nine seasons, with Reese receiving several NAACP Image Awards, two Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe nomination.

Her Health and Personal Life

Unfortunately, Della Reese battles several health challenges later in life, including a battle with diabetes which she blamed on poor diet and exercise. She also braved a brain aneurysm, at least two brain surgeries, and type 2 diabetes.

Following two appearances on the TV series Signed, Sealed, Delivered in 2014, Reese retired. She wed four times, including a brief marriage to jazz legend Duke Ellington’s son, Mercer Ellington.