Source: Jim Ellwanger/CC2.0
Diahann Carroll passed away on October 4, 2019, after a battle with cancer. The 84-year-old is best known as the star of the TV show Julia. The show was the first time an African American woman played a role other than a maid on television. Black women in entertainment from singer Kelly Rowland to director Ava DuVernay posted tributes to Carroll on social media. Actress Halle Berry also mentioned Carroll in her 2002 Oscar acceptance speech. She said Carroll paved the way for her and other women of color in entertainment.
