Harry Belafonte (96) is no more: 5 things to know about the legendary entertainer and civil rights activist

Harry Belafonte, the singer and actor, passed away at the age of 96 at his Manhattan home. Known for breaking the racial barriers in the U.S.A. he passed away due to congestive heart failure. During this time, his wife Pamela was by his side.

Harry Belafonte was one of the most successful African-American pop stars in history with hits like The Banana Boat Song, Mary’s Boy Child, Island In The Sun, and more. However, Belafonte’s campaign for black civil rights in the U.S. remains one of his greatest achievements.     

5 things to know about Harry Belafonte

1.   Belafonte’s early years

Known as the King of Calypso, Harry Belafonte was the son of poor Caribbean immigrants and was born in New York in 1927. During the Second World War he joined the Navy and later pursued his dream of becoming an actor by studying drama.   

2.   Ranking in billboard charts

During his music career, Belafonte recorded more than thirty albums, including collaborations with Miriam Makeba, Lena Horne, Nana Mouskouri.

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3.   Acting debut

Belafonte started his Broadway career in the musical John Murray Anderson’s Almanac in 1953. He scored his first lead role in Hollywood in Island in the Sun.

4.   Champion of black civil rights

Harry Belafonte was an active supporter of civil rights movements, who bailed several activists out of jail and took part in marches. He also bankrolled numerous anti-segregation organizations and was amongst the organizers of 1963 March on Washington.  

5.   Harry Belafonte’s obituary

Oprah Winfrey was amongst the first to pay tribute to Belafonte and wrote, ‘Thank you for your music, your artistry, your activism, your fight for civil rights and justice. Your being here on Earth has blessed us all’.

The singer-songwriter John Legend said, ’We just have to thank God that we had Harry Belafonte for 96 years. He used his platform in almost a subversive way, because he would sneak messages in there, revolutionary messages, when people thought he was just singing about good times’. 

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