Lynne Thigpen, The District star, dies suddenly

Lynne Thigpen, who played Ella Farmer in THE DISTRICT, died suddenly last night at her home in Los Angeles. Production on the CBS Television Network drama has been suspended.Miss Thigpen, a distinguished American actress who won a Tony Award as well as an Obie Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for her stage performances, was 54."I'm in shock. She was a wonderful actress and a friend," said Craig T. Nelson, who starred with Miss Thigpen in THE DISTRICT."We are all in shock and in mourning," said John Wirth, Executive Producer of THE DISTRICT. "The beauty, compassion and talent that you saw on the screen was not just superb acting, it was the very essence of this wonderful woman. We will miss her terribly.""As a person, Lynne possessed an incredible dignity, intelligence and wisdom that informed all of her performances," said Denise Di Novi, Executive Producer of THE DISTRICT. "She elevated anything she was involved with and we were blessed to have her as a part of our family.""The entire CBS Family extends our deepest heartfelt sympathies to Lynne's family," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Entertainment. "It's a sad day for all of us who worked with her and had the privilege of knowing her. She was an extraordinary person who will be sorely missed."Lynne Thigpen won a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway production of "An American Daughter" and received a Tony nomination for her performance in "Tintypes." She also won Obie Awards for "Jar the Floor" and "Boesman and Lena" and an L.A. Drama Critics Award for her performance in a Los Angeles production of "Fences."Miss Thigpen portrayed the chief in the PBS series "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" and "Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?" Her additional television credits include the series "thirtysomething" and "L.A. Law" and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations of "Night Ride Home" and "The Boys Next Door."Among Miss Thigpen's feature films were "The Insider," "Shaft," "Random Hearts," "Lean on Me," "Bob Roberts" and "Tootsie" and the current "Anger Management."She was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, and made her home in New York.