
(Clockwise) Cicely Tyson, Christopher Plummer, Mary Wilson, and Cloris Leachman
TRIBUTES
- By KEN WERTHER
The world of entertainment lost four giants over the past month — Cloris Leachman (January 27), Cicely Tyson (January 28), Christopher Plummer (February 5), and Mary Wilson (February 8). Cloris Leachman received 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won eight. For her performance in The Last Picture Show (1971) she won an Oscar for Best Featured Actress. Legions of fans will always remember her as Frau Blücher in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. She was 94. Christopher Plummer gave Tony Award-winning performances in such shows as Cyrano and Barrymore and appeared in countless films including the beloved The Sound of Music (1965) and Beginners (2011), for which, at age 82, he became the oldest actor to ever win an Academy Award. His work on television earned him seven Emmy Award nominations and two wins. He was 91. Cicely Tyson was best known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Lauded for her performances on television, onstage, and in film, she received three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and an honorary Academy Award. She was 96. Mary Wilson gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. history, as well as one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. She was a way-too-young 76. Spanning the entire showbiz spectrum, each of these shining stars more than earned their status as legends. Rest in peace, all.