The singer and mother of Gabourey Sidibe died on March 25 in New York City.
Alice Tan Ridley, a famed New York subway singer and mother of Gabourey Sidibe, has died. According to an obituary, Ridley died on March 25 in New York City at the age of 72.
The Georgia native moved to the Big Apple in the early 1970s and lived quite the life, which included not only mothering the venerable Sidibe but also becoming a well-known performer in her own right.
Many knew Ridley, who was born Dec. 21, 1952, from her days busking in the subway. Her singing talent famously took her all the way to “America’s Got Talent” in 2010 where she wowed judges Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel.
“Alice is just brilliant,” Morgan said after she brought the house down with her rendition of “At Last.”
The singer was a wife, mother of two, and educator. In her 2017 memoir “This Is Just My Face: Try Not To Stare,” Sidibe extensively details her upbringing in Harlem, New York, with her parents and brother, Ahmed. She has also opened up about her mother over the years and the cosmic connection their careers have had.
Most notably, before Sidibe was considered for her breakout role as Precious in the eponymous 2009 film directed by Lee Daniels, her mother was actually in talks for the role of Precious’ mother. Before Lee Daniels was set to direct, five years before Sidibe even auditioned for the movie, Ridley had been offered the role. However, she ultimately passed on the project because she didn’t want to play such an abusive mother.
“My mom’s always been a teacher, and she didn’t want any one of those kids that she taught and helped to raise to think that that’s who she was,” Sidibe told NPR around the release of her memoir.
Comedian Mo’Nique wound up in the role and won the Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actress.”
Even though her mother passed on the role, Sidibe credits her with bringing the film opportunity into her life. It was her mom who first gave her the book the film is based on.
“I think that part of why – even though he’d already cast me – I think part of why Lee liked me was because of my connection to my mother,” Sidibe continued. “ I think that part of – in turn, part of why “America’s Got Talent” liked my mom – other than her, like, talent – was her connection to me. And so I think that it was something – I think I was able to give her something, and she was definitely able to give me something as well.”
