Carol Sutton, ‘Steel Magnolias’ actress, dies from COVID-19 at age 76
Carol Sutton, the “Queen of New Orleans theater” who also appeared in many movies and TV shows, died Thursday from COVID-19. She was 76.
Sutton had been hospitalized with COVID for “several days” at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, local ABC affiliate WGNO reported.
Outside of the Big Easy, Sutton was best known for appearing in the 1989 comedy “Steel Magnolias.”
More recently, she popped into HBO’s “Lovecraft County,” the Ava DuVernay-created “Queen Sugar,” “Claws,” “True Detective,” the 2016 “Roots” remake and 2012′s “21 Jump Street.”
“It was our honor to welcome this veteran actress of stage + screen to our show,” DuVernay wrote in a tweet. “We bless her. May she rise and rest in peace and power.”
Sutton originally excelled on the New Orleans stage, making her debut in the late 1960s, The Associated Press reported.
“Carol Sutton was practically the Queen of New Orleans theater, having graced the stages across the city for decades,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement. “We will always remember her commanding stage presence, her richly portrayed characters, and the warm heart she shared with her fellow cast and crew in productions such as ’4000 Miles’ and ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’”
Almost 300,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19. About 650 of those deaths occurred in Orleans Parish.
