Tyson had her big break, as it were, in 1972's Sounder. Speaking to Viola Davis in 2017 for Elle, Tyson admitted that was the moment she knew acting was her forte. "That movie was, for me, the first acknowledgment that I could do something that would move people," the actress gushed. Davis posted about being "devastated" over her friend's passing, alongside inauguration poet Amanda Gorman, who thanked her for "giving us black girls everything" and Oprah Winfrey, who considers it an honor to have called Tyson a friend.
During the actress's final interview, with Gayle King, Tyson revealed she wanted to be remembered simply as someone who had done "my best." The actress told People, in 2016, "I realized very early on when I was asked certain questions or treated in a certain way that I needed to use my career to address those issues." Taking a stand paid off when Tyson's many causes were rewarded. She noted, "The sacrifices that I made as a result were worth it." Tyson's work speaks for itself, not least because she was worth $10 million at the time of her death, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
