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Who Was Alice Tan Ridley? Find Out as Singer and Mother of Actress Gabourey Sidibe Dies at 72
Mother of Academy Awards nominee Gabourey Sidibe and songstress Alice Tan Ridley sadly passed away at the age of 72.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
Alice Tan Ridley, who was known for her amazing ability to move the audience with her singing, tragically passed away on March 25 at the age of 72 in New York City. She was also the mother of the Academy Award-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe, per the New York Post.
As of now, the reason behind her death has not been revealed. Her death was confirmed by her close ones, including the Prank Panel actress, in an obituary published by Sconiers Funeral Home, per the New York Post.
The late songstress was born in 1952. In 1969, she went on to graduate from Stewart County High School and stepped foot into her professional front by becoming a special education teacher in Brooklyn after getting her teaching license from the New Yok State Board of Education, per the outlet.
Ridley tied the knot with Ibnou Sidibe in 1980, and they welcomed two members into their clan– Gabourey in 1983 and a son named Ahmed. According to the obituary, the pair decided to part ways and stayed on good terms after that.
As a single mother, she reportedly started to sing in the subway for tips and would impress people by singing songs like My Heart Will Go On, I Will Always Love You, and I Will Survive.
Ridley soon started climbing the success ladder after she got a paid gig at the Harlem Cotton Club. She ended up in the 2002 pilot of 30 Seconds to Fame and took home USD 25,000. She also appeared on Showtime with Apollo, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Along with that, she performed in Amazing Grace in the Rize documentary and America the Beautiful in the Heights movie in 2005. But that was not it; Ridley was also honored with an Emmy for her part in the Military Families documentary in 2007, per the report.
Her recognition would go to the next level after she auditioned for America’s Got Talent in 2010, singing the At Last song by Etta James, which landed her in the semi-finals. In 2016, the late singer also released her debut album, Never Lost My Way.
According to the outlet. Ridley, who is survived by her two children, two brothers, two sisters, grandkids, and other relatives, started to suffer from dementia in 2018, which resulted in her taking a break in her professional life and retiring later.
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