Delloreese Patricia Early was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan USA, and died on November 19, 2017 in California. An actress, singer, talk show host, and author, the multi-talented Reese first started singing in church in her hometown of Detroit when she was six years old. By the age of 13, she was touring with gospel great Mahalia Jackson; then, at 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to bring gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas.