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A 95-year-old actress, who appeared in movies like The Blues Brothers and Lady Sings the Blues, has died in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Dalyce Curry, who also appeared in The Ten Commandments according to the LA Times, lived in Altadena, one of the most badly fire-ravaged neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, told the outlet that human remains were found on her grandmother's Altadena property. Curry's home had burned down.
In the LA Times interview published on Thursday, January 16, Kelley recalled the final day of the actress' life, January 7, during which Kelley — Curry's caretaker — took her grandmother to several doctor's appointments and the hospital. She was cleared to go home and asked Kelley if she wanted to spend the night, but Kelley had to attend to another sick family member.
As for the fire conditions in the area, "We smelled a little smoke," Kelley shared. "But I'm telling you, it looked normal, like a normal day in Altadena."
Still, Kelley texted several of Curry's neighbors to ensure someone could help her evacuate if need be. One person reacted to the request with a thumbs-up, Kelley recalled.
However, the next morning, January 8, Kelley heard from Curry's landlord to ask about the actress' evacuation status, as an evacuation notice was sent out in the middle of the night — at 3:30 a.m.
Three hours later, after the message from the landlord and several failed calls to the police, Kelley went over to check on her grandmother herself. The house had burnt down, and Curry was not on the property.
"'I'm sorry, ma'am,'" Kelley recalled a cop saying. "'Your grandmother's home is all burned. It's gone.'"
"'I'm sorry, ma'am,'" Kelley recalled a cop saying. "Your grandmother's home is all burned. It's gone."
Kelley went on to file a missing persons report as days went by without word from Curry, who was also not at any of the evacuation shelters Kelley visited. On Sunday, January 12, she finally heard from the Los Angeles County medical examiner, who told her that "human remains had been found on her grandmother's property," per the LA Times.
At least 24 people have been killed in the wildfires, which have left hundreds of thousands of LA residents displaced. Many people's homes have burnt down, including celebrities. Mandy Moore's own Altadena home was severely damaged by the fire, and is currently inhabitable.
"Altadena was a place like no other," Kelley shared with the outlet.
"It was multicultural. It was like 47 percent African American," she explained. (Curry was Black.) "There was a community for us, and there were legacies and histories, families that passed down homes for generations."
Curry "was there for over 20 years," Kelley said. "She loved Altadena. I could never get her to move."
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