(April 25, 2023) Today we say a very sad goodbye to the legendary singer, actor and humanitarian, Harry Belafonte, who has died of congestive heart failure at his Manhattan home. He was 96.
The Harlem, New York-born Belafonte was a larger than life performer who popularized Caribbean calypso-style music in the United States in the 1950s. His hits like “The Banana Boat Song” and “Jump In The Line” are now iconic, and are known by generations of fans. But Belafonte was not a talent to be pigeonholed. Over his career he conquered many styles, from show tunes to pop, to international music, all with the talent of a man who knew no geographic or stylistic boundaries. He was also part of USA For Africa’s “We Are The World,” perhaps the greatest collection of singers of the 20th century..
Belafonte was also an admired actor, beginning with 1953’s Bright Road and continuing for a half century, with such popular movies as Uptown Saturday Night, White Man’s Burden and the Bobby Kennedy biopic Bobby, among his most notable cinematic efforts.
Equally important was Belafonte’s commitment to civil rights. During the 1960s, Belafonte was a confidant of every major civil rights leaders and was outspoken in his tireless support of equality not only in the US, but around the world. He also was deeply involved in humanitarian causes, and served as a UNICEF ambassador for more than three decades, and was a staunch anti-war proponent, most notably the Iraq War of the early 2000s.
It is difficult to capture all of Harry Belafonte’s important work in a single page. He meant so many things to different groups of people, and his musical and humanitarian legacies will continue for decades to come.
