Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty
Sadly, we’ve lost another legend.
Good Times co-star
Ja’net Dubois has passed away. She was 74.
According to TMZ, the vibrant actress “died unexpectedly in her sleep overnight at her home in Glendale, CA.” She hadn’t complained of any major health issues and even attended a fan event in the past few weeks, the gossip site noted.
Most of us know Dubois for her role in Norman Lear’s groundbreaking comedy “
Good Times” which she played the witty, sassy, best-dressed diva in the projects,
Wilona Woods.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, the Hunter College alum’s amazing career began as with actors
Sammy Davis Jr. and
Louis Gossett Jr. on Broadway in “Golden Boy.” She was later seen on Broadway in “A Raisin In The Sun” and blessed us with her gifts in several movies, including “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.”
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As TV One noted, her other TV credits included
Sanford and Son, Shaft, A Different World, Sister, Sister, Martin, E.R., Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show, and
Everybody and Roots: The Next Generation. Also,
according to TV Guide, she was the first African-American actress to have a regular role in a soap opera, helped create the
Pan African Film & Arts Festival in 1992 and was a
Jet Magazine pin-up girl back in 1960.
In addition, the loving mother of three won two Emmys for her voice-over work on the hit animated series “
The PJs.” But most importantly, while Dubois had a stunning physical presence on and off-screen, she was a talented singer and musician, having composed and sung the iconic theme song “Movin’ On Up,” for the hit show,
The Jefferson’s.
Without question, Dubois was an undeniable blend of
#BlackGirlMagic and #BlackExcellence. She will be greatly missed but her gifts will live forever, thanks to her amazing work. So to celebrate her life, here are 12 times that Dubois radiated beauty and grace.
Rest in power Ja’net.
