Starting in the mid-1960s, Cicely Tyson had a decades-long, on-again, off-again romance with trumpeter Miles Davis that peaked with their 1981 marriage and ended in a 1989 divorce.
Behind the scenes it was a turbulent relationship, according to both, but during their time in the spotlight, they were one of the most striking, stylish couples in America: she an Oscar-nominated, barrier-breaking dramatic actress and movie star known for an unwavering dedication to her craft; he a revered, charismatic jazz musician and innovator with an addictive personality and a bad reputation.
“Miles and I were among a handful of Black power couples of the sixties, an artistic duo that drew stares,” wrote Tyson, who died last week at age 96, in “Just As I Am,” her just-published autobiography. “I felt proud to stand alongside Miles, loved folding my silk-gloved hands into his strong ones.”