Ruby Dee dies in New Rochelle aged 91

Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee has died at the age of 91 at her home in New Rochelle, New York.

Ruby Dee died of natural causes on Wednesday evening.

The Emmy-winning actress was married to screen legend Ossie Davis for 56 years.

Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis frequently collaborated, sharing the stage in five productions, appearing together in five movies and starring in a radio show, The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story Hour.

“We have had her for so long and we loved her so much,” Ruby Dee’s daughter, Nora Davis Day, told US media following her death.

Ruby Dee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and later raised in Harlem, New York, where she later pursued acting.

She met Ossie Davis in 1945 when she auditioned for Broadway play Jeb, and the couple married in 1948.

They were active in civil rights issues, including promoting black performers in the entertainment industry.

Among Ruby Dee’s most famous screen rolls were A Raisin in the Sun and Do the Right Thing.

Ossie Davis died in 2005, and the couple is survived by their three children, Nora, Hasna and Guy.