Mae West

Della Reese was one of my mom's favorites. A wonderful singer and actress.

Wow, what a looker! I had only seen her older and heavier, don't get me wrong she was always attractive, but in this clip she's very different that the Della I used to see on TV.

"If you can make people believe your songs of blues and sadness, when you don't feel that wasy...well, that takes acting ability, I always knew I had." Della had that right, I was watching American Idol the other night and those kids don't get it, they sing sad songs and prance around as if they're singing Yankie Doodle Dandy! Absurd!

She had a recurring role on the TV show "Chico and the Man" with Freddie Prinze in the 70s, and I remember her in that....

• • DELLA REESE's Television career
• • In 1969, she was given her first shot at television stardom when she starred on a self-titled variety series. A year later (after her variety series was canceled after one season), she became the first black woman to serve as guest host of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."
• • Reese later appeared in several TV movies and miniseries' (including The House of Yes, Sanford and Son (in Season 5 episode "Della Della Della" that featured her performing "Ease On Down the Road" with Redd Foxx, and Roots: The Next Generations) and was a regular on "Chico and the Man."
• • In 1979, after taping a guest spot for The Tonight Show, she suffered a nearly fatal brain aneurysm, but made a full recovery after two operations by noted neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Drake at University Hospital in London, Ontario.
• • This was Reese's second brush with death. A number of years earlier, she accidentally walked into a plate glass door in her home. She was sliced so badly by the broken glass she required a thousand stitches to close her wounds. She lost most of her blood and later said she had a "near death" experience where she saw her beloved mother.
• • She played the mother of B. A. Baracus in the A-team episode 'Lease with an option to die'. After appearing on two sitcoms, Reese did a voice over for the animated series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. In 1989, she starred alongside Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Arsenio Hall in the movie Harlem Nights, where she was seen doing a fight scene with Eddie Murphy. In 1991, she starred opposite Redd Foxx in his final sitcom, The Royal Family. His death halted production of the series for a few months.
• • Della Reese in Touched by an Angel • •
• • From 1994-2003, Reese took on the co-starring role she is possibly best known for: Tess on the inspirational television drama Touched by an Angel.
Reese also sang the show's theme song. Her participation in this series has given her popularity among the younger audiences a boost. ...
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• • Do you remember Della Reese as a singer or an actress?
• • Comments? Opinions?
;-D
~ ~ come up and see Mae ~ ~

• • July 6th • •
• • Detroit born Della Reese [born 6 July 1931], of Cherokee and Afro-American descent, is an ordained minister.
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• • Do you remember Della Reese as a singer or an actress?
• • Comments? Opinions?
;-D
~ ~ come up and see Mae ~ ~

Probably the best thing Della Reese has done is to form a national group called "Faith in Action" where people of faith provide help and respite service to families doing caregiving and the like. She is a minister and lends her name to this cause.

I have called them for help but they especially concentrate on people who have no one - so a remaining spouse would get help, etc. or when the family is far away. Pretty impressive. She is still beautiful to me.

• • That is very interesting about Della Reese.
• • Thank you for your comments.
;-D
~ ~ come up and see Mae ~ ~

One of my mami's faves.

My favorite...