Legendary actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee died Wednesday at the age of 91.

Her daughter, Nora Davis, broke the news of her passing early this morning, adding that she was surrounded by family in her New Rochelle, N.Y. home.

Ruby Dee used every ounce of her talent, passion, and compassion for the benefit others as she spoke out for equal rights while winning various awards for her immense ability to bring the many roles she played to life.

However, Dee's greatest love was her husband, the late Ossie Davis. From the early 1950s , the two entertainers and activists were inseparable, fighting on the front lines of the war on black equality and sharing their talents on the big screen. The couple stayed married for 56 years, and truly enjoyed one another. For their 50th wedding anniversary, the two released a dual biography, chronicling their life together throughout one of America's most trying times, entitled With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together.

In a 2006 appearance in Missisippi, she recalled that she and Ossie "used the arts as part of our struggle."

Ossie Davis died in 2005, but Ruby Dee did not let that slow her career down. At 83, she received her first Oscar nomination for her role in American Gangster, as Denzel Washington's fiercely loving mother.

Her impactful life opened the doors for many black actresses in today's pop culture. As recent as this week, Audra McDonald thanked her, Diahann Carroll, Billie Holliday, and Maya Angelou for paving the way as she accepted her Tony award.

Dee is most known for her ground-breaking roles in the original play, A Raisin in the Sun and The Jackie Robinson Story.

Rest in peace, Ruby Dee.

Watch one of her moving acceptance speeches, here: