Barack Obama, Tyler Perry among those writing touching tributes to late actress Cicely Tyson

HOUSTON – Tributes are pouring in on social media after the news of Oscar-winning actress Cicely Tyson’s passing.

Tyson, who died at 96 Thursday, wowed audiences all over the world with her performances in movies such as “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “Sonder,” according to the Associated Press.

Former President Barack Obama took the time to share photos of Tyson when she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 on his Facebook page.

“Michelle and I were honored when Cicely came to the White House to accept the Medal of Freedom, knowing she was one of the many giants upon whose shoulders we stood — a trailblazer whose legacy couldn’t be measured by her Emmys and Tony and Oscar alone, but by the barriers she broke and the dreams she made possible,” he wrote on Facebook.

Obama also added Tyson refused to take on acting roles that “reduced” Black women to their gender or their race. Instead, she would be “playing a character based on a human being.”

Actor and Director Tyler Perry said on Facebook he “fell to his knees” when he learned of Tyson’s passing.

“She was the grandmother I never had and the wisdom tree that I could always sit under to fill my cup,” Perry wrote. “To think that she lived for 96 years and I got to be a part of the last 16 brings me great joy.”

Other notable politicians and celebrities have also responded to Tyson’s passing, including former first lady Michelle Obama.