Cicely Tyson, a trailblazing Hollywood icon and veteran actor of the screen and stage, has passed away at age 96.

Her manager, Larry Thompson, confirmed the news. “I have managed Miss Tyson’s career for over 40 years, and each year was a privilege and blessing,” he said in a statement, Variety reports. “Cicely thought of her new memoir as a Christmas tree decorated with all the ornaments of her personal and professional life. Today she placed the last ornament, a Star, on top of the tree.”