1. Della Reese then joined a gospel group called The Meditation Singers before turning her attention towards secular music.
80 Facts About Della Reese
1. 2.
Della Reese won a local talent competition, which led to a multiple-week appearance at The Flame nightclub in New York City.
3.
Della Reese began appearing on nationally-broadcast US television programs by the early 1960s, notably The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
4.
Della Reese's appearances led to the creation of her own talk show called Della, which ran for nearly 200 episodes between 1969 and 1970.
5.
Della Reese returned to gospel music after forming the group, Brilliance, which released an album in 1985 and was later nominated by the Grammy Awards.
6.
Della Reese then appeared in Eddie Murphy's 1989 film Harlem Nights and the short-lived 1991 TV series co-starring Redd Foxx called The Royal Family.
7.
Della Reese became an ordained minister during the 1980s decade and began regularly leading sermons.
8.
Della Reese then went on to star, in the lead role of Tess, in the CBS TV series, Touched by an Angel, co-starring Roma Downey.
9.
Della Reese released her autobiography in 1997 titled, Angels Along the Way.
10.
Della Reese starred in several CBS television films during the 2000s and appeared in the 2005 film Beauty Shop.
11.
Della Reese was born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6,1931, in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan to Richard Thaddeus Early and Nellie Mitchelle.
12.
Della Reese often returned from the films acting out scenes at home.
13.
Della Reese enjoyed singing from an early age, often singing at a high volume into the skylight of their home's bathroom.
14.
Della Reese toured with Jackson throughout the United States for three summers during her adolescent years.
15.
Della Reese ultimately dropped out of college after her mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
16.
Della Reese then had a falling-out with her father, which caused her to move out of the family home and support herself by working odd jobs.
17.
However, Della Reese left the group after becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of money she was earning as a gospel performer.
18.
Della Reese then turned her attention towards secular music, eventually finding employment at Detroit's Oriel Bowling Alley, one of the first bowling alleys in the region to offer live entertainment.
19.
The first recordings Della Reese made were issued on the Great Lakes label, resulting in one 1954 single release: "Yes Indeed".
20.
Della Reese then recorded "And That Reminds Me", an English adaptation of the Italian "Autumn Concerto" instrumental.
21.
Della Reese remained with the Jubilee label through 1959, recording a total of 15 singles and six albums.
22.
Della Reese became her first LP to make the US Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 35.
23.
Della Reese reached her peak commercial success during this period leading to a variety of opportunities, including singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
24.
Della Reese's only other single to chart was a 1966 cover of "It Was a Very Good Year", which peaked at number 99 on the Hot 100.
25.
Della Reese became a mainstay performer in Las Vegas, but often faced racial discrimination working there as a black entertainer.
26.
Nonetheless, Della Reese worked the Las Vegas strip for nine years.
27.
Della Reese's first Avco Embassy single was a cover of "Games People Play".
28.
Della Reese continued a recording career, becoming one of the first artists to join Lee Magid's LMI Records in 1973.
29.
The label issued a single by Della Reese titled " I Don't Want to Be Right".
30.
Della Reese then collaborated with the Jazz a La Carte Players for the 1979 live album, One of a Kind.
31.
Della Reese joined Applause Records in 1982 and the label issued her next studio album called Sure Like Lovin' You.
32.
Della Reese continued recording into the 1990s, appearing with a live album on her husband's Lett label titled Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues in 1995.
33.
Della Reese's final album project was a 2006 studio collection issued by the Spiritual Icon label titled Give It to God.
34.
Della Reese cited Ethel Waters as her earliest musical influence and then cited Mahalia Jackson as an influence in her teen years.
35.
Della Reese cited Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae as influences on her singing as well.
36.
Della Reese first appeared on The Merv Griffin Show, which further elevated offers to appear on more major television programs.
37.
Della Reese then became friendly with Mike Douglas, who invited her to co-host his television show.
38.
Della Reese was then approached by director Woody Fraser about hosting her own talk show on network television.
39.
The Della talk show was launched in 1969, making Reese the first black woman to have her own talk show on prime time television.
40.
Della Reese was offered to cut the orchestra but she ultimately refused and decided to cancel it instead.
41.
Della Reese then ran into Johnny Carson in a television studio hallway and he invited her to guest-host his show.
42.
Della Reese agreed and in 1970, she became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
43.
In 1975, Della Reese played the role of Mrs Gibson in the thriller movie, Psychic Killer.
44.
Della Reese then had a recurring role in the television series Chico and the Man where she portrayed an owner of town diner.
45.
Della Reese remained on the show through 1978 when it was cancelled following the death of Freddie Prinze.
46.
Della Reese appeared in theatrical productions during this period, including Ain't Misbehavin and Blues in the Night.
47.
Della Reese thought Foxx was "doing pratfalls" and did not take it seriously until she saw him lying on the floor in pain.
48.
Della Reese was about to embark on a vacation with her husband when her agent offered her a lead role in an upcoming series called Touched by an Angel.
49.
At first, Della Reese declined the offer because of the stress associated from The Royal Family cancelling.
50.
Della Reese was offered a large sum of money to film the pilot and decided to "talk to God", who ultimately told Della Reese to "do this for me".
51.
Della Reese then shot the pilot, but it was not initially picked up by network television.
52.
Della Reese sang the theme song which appeared at the beginning of each episode and was titled "Walk with You".
53.
Della Reese credited its success to audiences who felt inspired to "change their minds and change their lives".
54.
Della Reese continued her acting career in the 2000s and 2010s decades.
55.
Della Reese appeared in a film about a black-owned hair salon starring Queen Latifah called Beauty Shop.
56.
Della Reese then was featured in a film about the upbringing of Markus Redmond titled If I Had Known I Was a Genius alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone and Tara Reid.
57.
Della Reese appeared in several Christmas-themed television films such as Christmas Angel and Dear Secret Santa on the Lifetime network Her last acting credits were on two episodes of the show Signed, Sealed, Delivered and then Reese retired from acting in 2014.
58.
Della Reese was the author of several books in addition to her acting and singing careers.
59.
In 1999, Della Reese released a fictional children's book about spirituality called God Inside of Me.
60.
Della Reese stopped attending church in her 20's after finding it did not agree with her spiritual beliefs.
61.
Della Reese started attending services and took theological course work at the Johnnie Colemon Institute.
62.
Della Reese then began hosting classes at her California home beginning in 1984.
63.
Della Reese officially became an ordained minister in 1987 and founded her own church called Understanding Principles for Better Living.
64.
Della Reese ended the marriage because Gray did not tell her that the divorce from his ex-wife was invalid.
65.
Della Reese had two stepchildren from Lett's previous marriage: Dominque Lett and Franklin Lett III.
66.
Della Reese adopted the daughter of her half-brother named Deloreese Daniel Owens.
67.
Della Reese offered to adopt the child which her sister-in-law first agreed to.
68.
In September 1970, Della Reese was with her daughter playing in the swimming pool of her California home when she slipped and fell on a piece of tile.
69.
Della Reese's daughter found a neighbor to help her contact paramedics.
70.
Della Reese's son was a psychiatrist sent for her physician who "came immediately" to prove there were no drugs in Della Reese's system.
71.
Della Reese ultimately made a full recovery and credited her spiritual faith in helping her recover.
72.
Della Reese was close friends with Touched by an Angel co-star, Roma Downey.
73.
Downey considered her a "second mother" and made Della Reese the godmother to her daughter who was born in 1996.
74.
Della Reese was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes after collapsing on the set of Touched by an Angel.
75.
At first it was controlled by medication and Della Reese stated that she had cut back on what she was eating.
76.
In 2016, shortly after her 85th birthday, Della Reese was said to be in poor health, and had undergone multiple surgeries.
77.
Della Reese stated that she had neglected her health for years, which had contributed to the disease getting gradually worse over time.
78.
Della Reese was using a wheelchair at times on and off during the last ten years of her life.
79.
Della Reese died at her home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles on November 19,2017, at the age of 86.
80.
Della Reese was honored with a memorial service in December 2017 that included Roma Downey.