Harry Belafonte, Singer, Actor, And Civil Rights Activist, Has Passed Away At 96
Image Source: The New Yorker
Harry Belafonte sadly passed away today April 25, 2023, at the age of 96 from congestive heart failure. A multi-talented individual, Belafonte brought Calypso music to the masses with a string of hits such as “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)” and “Jump In the Line.” As one of the few mainstream black performers of the 1950s, he was also a successful film and television star. He has won three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.
An activist until his death, his roles were carefully curated to ensure they did not perpetuate harmful racial stereotypes. Belafonte famously turned down Porgy in Porgy and Bess because it did not meet the standard he believed that moviemakers should be setting.
Belafonte committed much of his time and money to good causes during his sixty-year career. He organized the USA for Africa – We are the World/ Hands Across America project which raised over $100 million. He set up The Gathering for Justice Project, a charity focused on ending child incarceration and inequality. Belafonte also personally funded the Student Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee, a group that looks to empower African Americans, primarily by getting them to register to vote.
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Belafonte was heavily influenced by his close friend, Martin Luther King, Jr., and would continue to make films that are empathetic to the African American perspective until his retirement. He has worked with a string of prestigious filmmakers such as Robert Altman and Sidney Poitier. His last movie was Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018).
He is survived by his loving wife Pamela, and children Adrienne, Shari, David, and Gina.
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Source(s): The Guardian, People, Wikipedia [1], [2]
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