may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. (December 2010) This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (December 2010) Della Reese Reese in July 2009 Background information Birth name Delloreese Patricia Early Born July 6, 1931 (1931-07-06) (age 79) Origin Detroit, Michigan, United States Genres Gospel, pop, jazz, R&B, traditional pop Occupations Singer, actress, minister, game show panelist Years active 1953–present Labels Jubilee Records RCA Records Associated acts Mahalia Jackson Erskine Hawkins Website www.DellaReese.com Delloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese (born July 6, 1931), is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You Know?". In her four decades of acting, she gained a whole new generation of fans in the 1990s, playing Tess, the leading role on the television show Touched by an Angel. In the late 1960s, she hosted her own talk show, Della, which ran for 297 episodes. In more recent times, she became an ordained New Thought minister in the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church in Los Angeles, California..