Clarice Taylor, who played Bill Cosby’s mother on The Cosby Show, died on Monday at age 93, her rep tells PEOPLE.
She succumbed to heart failure and was surrounded by family when she passed.
Taylor earned an Emmy nomination in 1986 for her recurring role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable’s mother, Anna Huxtable, on the long-running sitcom.
A performer on stage, radio, TV and film for over five decades, the actress was a member of the New York stage group, the Negro Ensemble Company, and helped to pave the way for African-American actors in the early 1960s.