A New Jersey theater is honoring a film and theater legend for her impact on entertainment.

When Cicely Tyson died in January at the age 96, the award-winning actress left a legacy that touched the audience and her fellow performers. This includes Regina Taylor, who remembers as a young person seeing Tyson on television.

In an interview from Atlanta where she is filming the Showtime drama, “The First Lady,” Taylor says, "In that time it was very rare to see an African American on TV, let alone someone as chocolate, someone as Black, someone as beautiful. Someone who wore her own hair in those times was revolutionary."

Tylor says that Tyson gave her courage and inspiration. She is among the artists honoring Tyson in a virtual fundraiser for Crossroads Theatre Company. The event is called “A Night With Crossroads.”

The Tony Award-winning Black theater has been based in New Brunswick for more than four decades. It produces plays and musicals focused on the African diaspora.

Crossroads Board of Trustees President Anthony Carter says that Tyson’s influence spans generations, with nearly 100 film and television roles, Broadway and as a style icon.

The participating artists in the event, which will be streamed for ticket buyers on Thursday evening, include Tyson's godson Lenny Kravitz, former Tyson costar Blair Underwood, and event host, actress Anika Noni Rose.

Students of the Cicely Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange will also perform.

Tickets are available through the Crossroads Theatre Company website. The theater is also presenting its Champion of the Arts Award during the virtual event to Johnson & Johnson for the health care giant's longtime support of the arts.