Broadway Theaters to Dim Lights to Honor the Late Stage & Screen Icon Ruby Dee

Broadway theaters will dim their lights to pay tribute to stage and screen legend Ruby Dee, who died on June 11 at the age of 91. Marquees will go dark on June 13 at 7:45 PM for one minute.

"Ruby Dee inspired so many people both on stage and off,” said Broadway League Executive Director Charlotte St. Martin in a statement. “Our thoughts are with her family and she will be deeply missed.”

Dee was best known for her portrayal of Ruth Younger in both the original 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun as well as the subsequent film version. Her notable stage credits include Boesman and Lena, Checkmates, Purlie Victorious, The Smile of the World, A Long Way from Home, Anna Lucasta and South Pacific. She often appeared on stage and screen opposite her late husband Ossie Davis. Her many accolades include a Grammy, Emmy, Academy Award nomination, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors. She received an Honorary Degree from Princeton University in 2009. Dee was also known as a civil rights activist and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.