With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of this wonderful actress who broke so many barriers 💔 Full story below:

Roughly 31 years later, Tennessee prepared to carry out Pike’s sentence.

Her execution had originally been expected earlier in the day, but extensive legal proceedings delayed the process until the evening.

After a federal appeals court temporarily intervened, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately allowed Tennessee to proceed.

Media witnesses entered the viewing area before the curtain to the execution chamber finally opened at approximately 7:27 p.m.

Pike was lying on the gurney with an IV line running into her right arm.

She spoke with her spiritual adviser, Rev. Mikey Noechel, and delivered a final statement before the lethal-injection process began.

But within minutes, witnesses reportedly realized something was wrong.

Pike complained about what she was feeling in her arm.