Cicely Tyson died yesterday at 96 — truly having been the embodiment of the cliche “age is nothing but a number,” given that she seemed to redefine vitality and verve with every passing year. Indeed, she was still working, with three projects in 2020, one of which was her final season as Viola “Annalise Keating” Davis’s mother on How To Get Away With Murder. She was tremendous in that part and watching them work with each other was a genuine privilege. Beyond that, Tyson is the first and only Black woman to receive an honorary Oscar, has won or been nominated for pretty much everything else, and was in the midst of promoting an autobiography that came out on Tuesday. (Indeed, her final interview, with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, was taped the day before her death and will air on Friday morning as planned and as a tribute.) She was an inspiration and a light to so many actors, and not for nothing, she was also madly chic. She loved hats, she loved ruffles, and she loved to grin. This slideshow is full to the brim of all three.

[Photos: Shutterstock, Getty]