Alice Tan Ridley, the mother of Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe who wowed America’s Got Talent viewers with her musical talents, has died. She was 72.
Ridley died on March 25 in New York City, her family announced in her obituary, after decades as a celebrated gospel and R&B singer.
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Ridley was born on Dec. 21, 1952, in Charles Junction, Georgia, as the seventh of eight children. She would go on to become an educator, teaching special-needs kids at P.S. 134 in Brooklyn, New York, but eventually lost her job and divorced husband Ibnou Sidibe.
Now a single mother, Ridley took to singing for tips in the NYC subway, primarily at Herald Square, where she would perform for three decades. Becoming a “pillar of the New York City singing circuit,” Ridley also performed at Harlem’s Cotton Club for many years.
Ridley made her television debut on the 2002 pilot episode of Fox’s 30 Seconds to Fame, winning $25,000, and would later go on to compete on Showtime at the Apollo in 2005. That same year, she performed “Amazing Grace” in the David LaChapelle documentary Rize and “America the Beautiful” in the film Heights.
In 2010, she auditioned for America’s Got Talent with Etta James’ “At Last,” which blew away judges and viewers alike. Ridley would make it all the way to the semifinals during her time on the talent show.
Six years later, at age 63, Ridley released her debut album, Never Lost My Way, which featured original songs she wrote with producer Jay Stolar in addition to covers of some of her favorite songs, including “Try a Little Tenderness.”
Ridley would go on to spend her 60s touring before retiring in 2018 due to the onset of dementia, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She is survived by daughter Gabourey and son Ahmed in addition to siblings James and Tommy; sisters Julia and Mildred; and her twin grandchildren, Cooper and Maya.
