Della Reese

In 2007, she officiated for the second time--she is an ordained minister--at a wedding of her Touched by an Angel (1994) co-star Roma Downey, in which she married reality television show producer Mark Burnett.

Was honored at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball ceremony along with 25 other African-American women. [2005]

Had four children: Deloreese Daniels Owens (1961-March 14, 2002, adopted), James, Franklin, and Dominique. Her daughter Deloreese was her adopted child whom she acquired from a family member unable to care for her. Owens died on March 14, 2002. It was never released whether she died from suicide or from complications stemming from pituitary disease leaving behind two children, ages 19 and 21.

Della was an ordained minister. She officiated at the wedding of Touched by an Angel (1994) co-star Roma Downey. She is the godmother of Downey's daughter, Reilly Marie.

On one of the tapings of The Royal Family (1991), she found out about one of Redd Foxx's rituals he had done, years after he was doing Sanford and Son (1972), assuming all of this was a joke. In fact, she actually heard it, for real, Foxx collapsed on the set and had a heart attack, where he was taken to a hospital and died in 1991. She attended his funeral later in the year.

Suffered a stroke on the set of The Tonight Show (1962) [October 3, 1980].

Was longtime good friends with Kristoff St. John. They worked together on The Young and the Restless (1973).

She got out of a swimming pool and, trying to avoid stepping on a large piece of glass, fell through a glass door. She underwent surgery for a severe laceration. [1969]

Received a Grammy Award nomination for her album "Della". [1960]

In 1953, she signed a singing contract with Jubilee Records, her first.

Meet Vermont Taliaferro in church for years until she married him in 1951. They divorced in 1953.

Television personality Ed Sullivan helped her get her bookings in Las Vegas, which were rare for an African-American singer back in the early 1950s. Sullivan was also a favorite of hers.

Her mother, Nellie, died in 1949 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Attended and graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan (1947) at only 15 years old. She was the first in her family to graduate early.

In 1944, Mahalia Jackson was at her church and was impressed with Della's voice.

When Della was a young girl in the 1940s, she and her mother would go to the movies to watch Joan Crawford, Lena Horne and Bette Davis portraying glamorous lives on-screen.