Actress Armelia McQueen, known for her roles in Broadway’s “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and the film “Ghost,” has died at the age of 68.
Her friend Dorian Hannaway confirmed McQueen’s passing on Sunday, Oct. 3.
“You are truly an angel now. My dear friend Armelia crossed over yesterday,” Hannaway wrote in a Facebook post. “She leaves us cherishing her memory as she was one of the greatest friends you could ever have. The only thing bigger than her beautiful soul was her extraordinary talent.”
McQueen was part of the original cast for “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” which eventually led to her Broadway debut when the cabaret musical joined the honored ranks of theater productions to be performed on Broadway in 1978. Her performance in the musical earned a Theatre World award the same year.
Apart from her theater career, McQueen also appeared in numerous films and television shows. Her most notable role was the character of Clara Brown in 1990’s “Ghost,” which starred Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Rick Aviles. McQueen also held roles in other films including “Action Jackson” and “The Hustle.”
Her more recent work, however, often took place on television. In 2018 she appeared in “Artbound,” and before that she played a recurring role as Shula Whitaker on “Hart of Dixie.” She also played the Red Queen in the “Adventures in Wonderland” series from 1992 to 1994 and made brief appearances in “That’s So Raven” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
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Hannaway remembered McQueen fondly in her Facebook post, saying, “I will remember her as my girlfriend whose dazzling smile and crazy sense of humor gave me so much joy. All of us who are lucky enough to call her our friend will be sustained by the many memories of the fun we all had together.”
McQueen’s cause of death has not been shared at the time of publication.
