Sylvia Woods Dead! Owner of Harlem's Sylvia's Soul Food Passes

"Queen of Soul" Woods died today at the age of 86.

A Harlem legend has passed away.

According to the New York Daily News, the famed owner of the iconic Harlem Soul Food restaurant, Sylvia's, Sylvia Woods, died earlier today at the age of 86.

Woods, the "Queen of Soul Food," was the founder and owner of the world famous Sylvia's Restaurant, located in the historical village of Harlem, since 1962. 

“Sylvia gallantly battled Alzheimer's for the past several years, but never once lost her loving smile,” the Woods family said in a statement.

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“Sylvia's has been more than a restaurant, it has been a meeting place for Black America,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who recalled dining there with everyone from President Obama to Caroline Kennedy, to the Daily News.

Sylvia was born on February 2, 1926 in Hemingway, South Carolina.

She is survived by her four children, Van, Bedelia, Kenneth, and Crizette, who manage this family enterprise.