Blaxploitation queen Judy Pace passes away at 83

Judy Pace, the first queen of Blaxploitation, passes away at the age of 83 in peace.

The actress and model who pioneered in 1970s Blaxploitation cinema breathed her last on Wednesday, March 11.

The veteran star died a peacefully in her sleep as she was in her visitation with the family in Marina Del Rey.

The announcement was confirmed by her two daughters Shawn and Julia Pace Mitchell.

Pace was born in Los Angeles in the year 1942 and she was the youngest model to be featured in Ebony Fashion Fair in 1961.

Later, she appeared on screen in 13 Frightened Girls!. She was the first African American woman hired at Columbia studios and she launched her career in the ground breaking way.

In 1960s, she appeared on such classic programs as I Spy, Batman, Bewitched and Days of Our Lives. 

When she ran The Young Lawyers in 1969-71, she received an NAACP Image Award in Best Actress.

She appeared in Blaxploitation classics Cotton Comes to Harlem and The Slams as well as the much beloved TV film Brian's Song in the 1970s.

In addition to acting, in 1971, Pace co-founded Kwanza Foundation, in association with Nichelle Nichols.

This was to provide Black women in film and granting minority scholarships in the arts.