MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM Star Aleta Mitchell Passes Away at 74
The stage and screen performer originated the role of Dussie Mae in the Broadway production.
BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Aleta Mitchell, who appeared in the original Broadway cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson, passed away on April 14, 2026. She was 74 years old.
A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Mitchell's professional stage career began in 1984 with her role as Dussie Mae in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Broadway. She went on to star in several productions off-Broadway, including Distracted, The Ohio State Murders, Marvin's Room, Approaching Zanzibar, and Ajax.
Regional credits included the Yale Repertory Theater's productions of Galileo and The Winter's Tale, Wit and The Amen Corner at Long Wharf Theater, The Comedy of Errors at Hartford Stage and The Member of the Wedding and Intimate Apparel at Westport Country Playhouse.
She also had a career onscreen, with recurring roles on television shows such as All My Children and The Guiding Light and appearances in The Cosby Show, Law & Order, The Equalizer, and The Jury. Film credits included Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Malcolm X, Valmont, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and No Mercy.
She is survived by her husband Thomas, her son Andrew, and her mother Geraldine. A celebration of life will take place this summer.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.
