Yahoo Lifestyle 
Carol Sutton, Steel Magnolias and Queen Sugar star, dies aged 76
Carol Sutton, known for roles in the 1989 comedy Steel Magnolias and the TV series Queen Sugar, has died at the age of 76 from complications from COVID-19.
Dubbed the Queen of New Orleans theatre, Carol Sutton was a fixture on stages of her home town for decades, but also made a career on the big and small screens.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell shared the news in a statement.
“The world may recognize her from her performances in movies and on TV — whether it’s ‘Treme’ or ‘Claws,’ or ‘Runaway Jury’ or ‘Queen Sugar’ — but we will always remember her commanding stage presence, her richly portrayed characters, and the warm heart she shared with her fellow cast and crew,” LaToya said.
Carol reportedly died on Thursday at Touro Infirmary.
After making her acting debut in the late 1960s in Dashiki Project Theatre productions, Sutton appeared in productions such as The Last Madam, Native Tongues and A Raisin in the Sun.
She moved to television in 1974 with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman with Cicely Tyson and had roles in In the Heat of the Night and the TV movie Uncle Tom’s Cabin with Avery Brooks.
Her recent TV credits included Scream Queens, the 2016 remake of the series Roots, Treme, True Detective and Lovecraft Country.
Her film work includes roles in such movies as Monster’s Ball, Ray and The Help.
She played a policewoman in The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington and a nurse opposite Sally Field, Dolly Parton and Shirley MacLaine in Steel Magnolias.
She was a judge in The Big Easy with Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin.
Tributes have been flooding social media after news of her death was shared.
Carol’s co-star from Queen Sugar, Ava DuVernay, shared a message and clip from the show on Twitter.
“It was our honor to welcome this veteran actress of stage and screen to our show as Aunt Martha in Episode 409, ‘Stare at the Same Fires.’ May she rise and rest in peace and power,” she wrote.
Carol is survived by her son, Archie; daughter, Aunya; brother, Oris Buckner; sister, Adrienne Jopes; and five grandchildren.
On behalf of the QUEEN SUGAR family, we celebrate the life of the stellar Carol Sutton. It was our honor to welcome this veteran actress of stage + screen to our show as Aunt Martha in Episode 409, “Stare at the Same Fires.” We bless her. May she rise and rest in peace and power. pic.twitter.com/OMbRExLvMz
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) December 12, 2020
Additional reporting by AP.
Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.
Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
