Carol Sutton, ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘Ray’ Actress, Dies From COVID-19 at 76

Actress Carol Sutton passed away this week due to complications with COVID-19, according to a report by WGNO ABC. The 76-year-old performer was perhaps best-known for her role as Nurse Pam in Steel Magnolias, but her decades-long career included groundbreaking work on the screen and the stage. Fans, friends and colleagues everywhere are mourning Sutton this weekend.

Sutton was reportedly hospitalized at the Touro Infirmary in her home city of New Orleans as she struggled with the novel coronavirus. She passed away on Thursday night, and the news hit her local community hard. The Times-Picayne reported on this devastating loss to the city’s local arts scene, and retired critic David Cuthbert wrote: “Among actors in New Orleans, there was Carol Sutton – and there was everybody else. She opened her mouth, and out came truth. Wherever she was on stage, that was center stage.”

Sutton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and grew up there through her early adulthood. After divorcing her first husband Archie Sutton, she worked for a nonprofit organization in the city called Total Community Action, seeking to “address the needs of disadvantaged residents.” At the sime time, she earned a certificate in early childhood development from Texas Southern University in Houston.

Throughout this service-oriented work, however, Sutton remained active in the theater community as both a performer and a teacher. She stayed involved in her local scene even as she took some of her best-known roles in movies and TV shows, including The Pelican Brief, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, American Horror Story: Coven, True Detective, Kidnap, The Last Exorcism, and Killer Joe.

Sutton received recognition for her contributions within her life time, including the New Orleans Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. According to a report by the BBC, at the time she praised her hometown and indicated that it was possible for performers to continue supporting other cities while working in Hollywood.

“When everyone else left, I never had a desire to leave New Orleans. I never wanted to go to Los Angeles or New York,” she said.

Sutton got plenty of esteemed tributes after news of her passing spread this weekend as well. Director Ava DuVernay tweeted: “On behalf of the QUEEN SUGAR family, we celebrate the life of the stellar Carol Sutton. It was our honor to welcome this veteran actress of stage + screen to our show as Aunt Martha in Episode 409, ‘Stare at the Same Fires.’ We bless her. May she rise and rest in peace and power.”