Ava DuVernay salutes 'elegant force' Suzzanne Douglas

Director Ava DuVernay has paid a touching tribute to actress Suzzanne Douglas following her death on Tuesday.

The star, 64, passed away at her home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts after suffering complications from cancer, her husband confirmed to TMZ.

DuVernay was among the first to react to the news, taking to Twitter to remember the veteran actress, who played Grace in the acclaimed Netflix miniseries When They See Us.

"Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made WHEN THEY SEE US," the director tweeted. "A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer.

"I'm grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love."

Actress Rosanna Arquette added her tribute as she commented on DuVernay's post, writing, "Such Beautiful work. may she rest in power and peace (sic).”

Douglas was also known for her role in 1990s TV sitcom The Parent 'Hood, and for the 1989 film Tap, alongside Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., as well as 1998's How Stella Got Her Groove Back, in which she starred opposite Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg.