Dalyce Curry has died within the Los Angeles wildfires. The devastating information comes as California faces one in every of its most difficult winter fireplace seasons in latest historical past.
The retired actress – who appeared within the likes of ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘The Blues Brothers’ and ‘Woman Sings the Blues’ – handed away aged 95 when the Eaton Hearth destroyed her residence in Altadena, with the coroner having confirmed on Sunday (12.01.25) that her stays had been found there. Curry’s profession spanned over 4 many years in Hollywood’s golden period.
“Momma D” – as Dalyce was recognized to her household – had been dropped off by her granddaughter Dalyce Kelley at her residence at midnight on Tuesday (14.01.25) after a day of hospital appointments. The Altadena space has been residence to many leisure trade veterans because the Nineteen Fifties.
In keeping with Eyewitness Information, Kelley left however the subsequent morning, she noticed a textual content saying the ability had gone out in her grandmother’s residence so she headed over to assist. Energy outages have affected over 5,000 residents within the area throughout this emergency.
“I’m sorry your grandmother’s property is gone. It completely burned down,” a police officer advised her. The Eaton Hearth has already destroyed greater than 100 constructions within the space.
They steered she went to the Pasadena Civic Heart, the place native residents had been despatched however couldn’t discover her and on Friday (13.01.25) she was taken to her grandmother’s residence by nationwide guard officers. The civic middle has been serving as an emergency shelter for tons of of displaced residents.
She mentioned: “It was whole devastation. Every part was gone besides her blue Cadillac.” The basic automotive, a 1965 mannequin, had been Curry’s prized possession for over 40 years.
Whereas the search was nonetheless ongoing for her grandmother, Kelley had mentioned she was “praying for a miracle.” Search and rescue groups labored tirelessly for 48 hours within the affected space.
She added: “Truthfully we don’t really feel very hopeful that she’s nonetheless right here with us.” The wildfires have claimed three lives up to now, with Curry being the most recent sufferer.
And Kelley had additionally hit out for authorities to “do higher” in relation to placing emergency programs in place. Native officers have acknowledged the necessity for improved emergency response protocols.
“Our souls are aching, our hearts are damaged. She liked Altadena. There isn’t any one who liked that metropolis greater than my grandmother. She mentioned she had but started to stay, so I knew she would simply be right here past 100. She nonetheless needed thus far, she needed to discover a husband … They must do higher with the emergency system as a result of there’s a that was a really aged form of neighborhood,” Kelley advised KABC.
“There’s lots of retirees there, and we will’t simply depend on the cellphone, as a result of aged individuals don’t actually do cellphones. They don’t. That’s not the one manner we must always notify individuals when there’s evacuation orders,” she continued, highlighting a crucial hole in emergency communication programs.
“And why did it not occur earlier? Why was I allowed to be to have entry to her residence at midnight and never have any hazard warnings? No freeway indicators up the best way saying, ‘That is evacuation zone.’” The shortage of correct warning programs has grow to be a significant level of concern for native authorities.
Curry’s passing has sparked discussions about emergency preparedness in aged communities, with native officers now reviewing evacuation protocols. The actress, who labored with cinema legends like Charlton Heston and Diana Ross, leaves behind a legacy of each creative achievement and neighborhood involvement in Altadena.
Hearth officers proceed to battle the Eaton Hearth, which has already consumed over 2,000 acres of land. Local weather specialists warn that California’s fireplace season is extending past conventional boundaries, creating new challenges for emergency response groups and native communities.
The lack of Curry has notably impacted the leisure neighborhood, with a number of veteran actors calling for higher safety of aged residents in fire-prone areas. Her contributions to basic cinema, together with her memorable function in ‘The Ten Commandments’, stay a testomony to Hollywood’s golden age.
