Jane White
Jane White has lost her battle with cancer at the age of 88.
The star passed away on 24 July (11) at her home in Greenwich Village, New York.
White made her Broadway debut in 1945 when she landed a role in Strange Fruit, but it was her star turn as Queen Aggravain, opposite a young Carol Burnett, in a 1959 production of Once Upon a Mattress which gave her her big break.
The musical led to further work in a number of Shakespeare plays, and she was honoured with an Obie Award in 1971 for her continued career achievements.
White later appeared in a number of U.S. soap operas such as A World Apart and The Edge of Night, becoming one of the first black actresses to land a soap role under contract.
She was also known for her vocal talent and performed as a cabaret singer in her autobiographical one-woman show Jane White, Who? from 1979.