Timeless icons: Celebrating the legacy of famous female Black celebrities over 70

You don’t have to look hard to find Black female celebrities in today’s culture. Stars like Beyoncé and Rihanna are music industry hitmakers, while actresses like Viola Davis and Quinta Brunson dazzle on the big and small screens. 
However, you can’t fully celebrate the iconic Black celebrity women of today without acknowledging and honoring those who walked before them and paved the way. Look at some of the most famous female Black celebrities over 70 and the legacies they’ve built. 
You may have heard the phrase, “They walked so we could run,” before. It’s especially relevant as we dive into the lives of some of the most famous older Black actresses, singers, writers and activists. 
These women of color accomplished incredible things, like delivering powerful performances that racked up numerous awards and exceeded expectations at the box office or releasing singles that spent weeks on the charts — acts that are all noteworthy on their own. What’s more impressive, though, is that many of these influential people managed to find success in a time where racial and gender biases kept the odds stacked against them. 
The same talents, resilience and dedication that helped these Black women change the game in the past have solidified their statuses as timeless icons. Every generation that has followed can look to them as sources of inspiration and motivation.
Here are some of the most famous female Black celebrities over 70. Their accomplishments span several industries. While some helped put Motown on the map, others had breakthrough roles we still talk about today. 
If there was a strong Black woman to be portrayed on stage, screen or TV, Cicely Tyson (1924-2021) was often called upon to do it. Tyson had a reputation for refusing to take roles that demeaned Black people and, unfortunately, often went without work because of it.
However, her commitment to shattering stereotypes and portraying women of color with dignity paid off. Throughout her seven-decade career, Tyson earned many recognitions, including double Emmy Awards at the 1974 ceremony for one of her most famous roles as the titular character in the television film “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”
While many call Diana Ross “Miss Ross,” she named herself “The Boss” with the release of her ninth studio album in 1979. Considering Ross’s long list of achievements before and after that album’s release, it’s safe to say her self-anointed nickname was appropriate. 
Ross first rose to fame as lead singer of girl group The Supremes, and when she left to go solo in 1970, she became even more popular. Throughout her career, Ross racked up six Billboard Hot 100 Number Ones, 12 Billboard Top 10 Hits, the Kennedy Center Honors and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Ross even took her talents to the screen in films like “The Wiz” and “Lady Sings the Blues“ and passed her acting chops down to her daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, who’s known for her coveted roles in sitcoms like “Girlfriends” and “black-ish.” 
Tina Turner, a.k.a. The Queen of Rock ‘n Roll, rose to fame with her husband Ike Turner. The duo had several hits under their belt. Their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” is perhaps the most famous. But after years of abuse, Turner filed for divorce and began pursuing a solo career.
Her first attempts to go alone were unsuccessful. However, in one last-ditch effort to save her career, she released “Private Dancer,” the album that would propel her to stardom and be called one of music’s most impressive comebacks.
By her death in 2023, Turner had amassed nine solo studio albums and several awards, one of which was being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. She is one of only three women to hold that honor.
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin is known for her powerful performances in gospel, pop, R&B and soul. Throughout her career, Franklin released hit after hit — “Respect,” “Think” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” are among her most popular tunes. 
During her career, which lasted until she died in 2018, Franklin made music history several times. In 1977, she set the record for most appearances by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. She held this record until 2017, when Nicki Minaj surpassed Franklin’s 73 Hot 100 hits. Her other notable career highlights include winning eight consecutive Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Awards from 1968 to 1975 and becoming the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Gladys Knight is best known as the lead singer of Gladys Knight & The Pips, a Motown group responsible for the beloved tune “Midnight Train to Georgia.” However, Knight shines even without The Pips, having found success as both a solo musician and an actress. 
Dubbed the Empress of Soul, Knight’s career began in 1960, when she was just 16 years old, and remains active today. She boasts over 38 albums, a host of TV and film credits and seven Grammy Awards. Knight also received the National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden in 2021.
Patti LaBelle makes the question, “How old is old?” hard to answer. At 80, the Godmother of Soul just set out on another tour.
Patti LaBelle’s career spans six decades, beginning in the ’70s with a trio called Labelle. Though the group eventually found success with “Lady Marmalade,” they split, and LaBelle took off on her own. 
As a soloist, LaBelle is one of music’s most respected vocalists, having earned multiple Grammys, a World Music Award, an American Music Award, a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award and BET’s 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Over the years, LaBelle has become involved with non-music business ventures, including launching a food line based on her recipes and partnering with the American Diabetes Association to advocate for people, especially Black ones, with diabetes.
Ruby Dee was a Black actress, writer and activist who stepped into the limelight just as Hollywood began allowing Black actors to portray substantial, non-stereotypical characters. Though her first big film role was in 1950, and several others followed, Dee wouldn’t receive her first Oscar nomination until 2007 for her performance in “American Gangster” alongside Denzel Washington. 
Dee continued acting well into the 21st century. All the while, she advocated for racial equality during the Civil Rights movement and wrote. Her writing credits include a book with her husband detailing their half-century marriage, a one-woman show, screenplays and a book musical called “Take It From the Top!”
While others rose to prominence on the silver screen or concert stage, Angela Davis’s notoriety came from her work in the activism space. Davis is best known for advocating for Black prisoners, as seen through her interest in the Soledad Brothers in the 1970s. Davis landed a spot on the FBI’s most wanted list and, ultimately, served 18 months in jail for her interest in the brothers and alleged involvement with their attempted escape.
Davis was acquitted of all charges and, upon her release, continued her activist efforts, focusing primarily on fighting against racism, patriarchal oppression, war, incarceration and the death penalty. Davis has authored a dozen books and boasts a long teaching career. Currently, she is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the University of California Santa Cruz’s Humanities Division.
It’s hard to deny that Oprah Winfrey gets more vibrant with age. Her career began in 1976, and she’s been going strong ever since, connecting with audiences just as well as she had when her talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” debuted. It ran for 25 years and earned numerous awards, including 16 Daytime Emmys, and was the highest-rated talk show in history.
Winfrey wears other hats besides talk show hostess — entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, actress and producer are a few others. In each of these areas, Winfrey has managed to hit several noteworthy milestones. A few of them include making her acting debut in “The Color Purple” in 1985, becoming the first Black female woman on Forbes’s “World’s Richest People” list in 2003 and opening a school for underprivileged girls in South Africa in 2007.
Many know Grace Jones only as a model — she and her unique, androgynous look have graced magazine covers and strutted down runways wearing designer clothing many times. However, she’s a multi-hyphenate celebrity with musical talent and acting skills, not to mention a symbol of empowerment and individuality, thanks to her confidence in sporting a look that was uncommon at the time. 
Jones, who was Andy Warhol’s muse, became known as a musician in the international club scene during the 1970s, and her music career grew from there. One of her most famous tracks was “Pull Up to the Bumper,” a post-disco dance ditty that became a Top 5 single on the U.S. R&B chart. 
Jones’s career also branched into the movie industry, and the Jamaican-born celebrity appeared in films like Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vamp.
The next time you pay homage to the modern Black celebrity women you admire, don’t forget to acknowledge those who came before them. Had famous black female celebrities​ like those listed above not created seats for themselves at the table, their successors may not have known they were welcome to sit, too.
Associated Press
Kay Wicker
Haniyah Philogene
Haniyah Philogene
Associated Press
Kay Wicker
Kay Wicker
Haniyah Philogene
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