Della Reese, the actress and gospel-influenced singer who in middle age found her greatest fame as Tess, the wise angel in the long-running television drama ``Touched by an Angel,'' has died at age 86.
A family representative released a statement Monday that Reese died peacefully Sunday evening in California. No cause of death or additional details were provided.
Before ``Touched by an Angel'' debuted in 1994, Reese was mainly known as a singer, although she had costarred on ``Chico and the Man,'' ''Charlie and Company`` and ''The Royal Family`` and hosted her own talk show, ''Della.``
She appeared on numerous shows such as ``Night Court,'' ''L.A. Law,`` and ''Designing Women,`` but wrote in her 1997 autobiography that she had difficulty being typecast until she landed her ''Touched by an Angel`` role.