Harry Belafonte, actor and pioneering Calypso singer, dies at 96
Belafonte was also an activist during the Civil Rights Movement.
Harry Belafonte, the actor, activist and singer who popularized the Calypso musical style with his famous song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," has died. He was 96.
Belafonte died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his New York home with his wife Pamela by his side, his representative confirmed to ABC News.
Born in Harlem on March 1, 1927, Belafonte's early years were spent between the Black mecca and Jamaica, where he briefly lived with one of his grandmothers. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the Navy, lending his services to the U.S. during World War II.
His job as a janitorial assistant, however, is what changed the course of his life. While working, a tenant gifted him tickets to the American Negro Theater, where he fell in love with acting and met the late Sidney Poitier.
As his passion for the art form grew, he attended local plays with Poitier and occasionally performed at the ANT, taking on a gig as a club singer to help pay for acting classes at the Dramatic Workshop at what is now called The New School. His music career then took off.
Belafonte signed to Roost label as a pop artist, debuted at The Village Vanguard jazz club and later transferred to RCA Victor. His third studio album, "Calypso," went on to spend 31 weeks at No. 1 and featured hits like "Jamaica Farewell," in addition to "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)."
Belafonte did make headway on the acting front, intentionally turning down racially stereotypical roles along the way. In 1953, he made his film debut in "Bright Road," starring alongside Dorothy Dandridge, who he'd later work with on the 1954 musical "Carmen Jones."
He eventually founded HarBel Productions, producing and starring in 1959's "Odds Against Tomorrow."
His other notable projects include the post-apocalyptic "The World, the Flesh and the Devil," "Swing Vote," "Bobby," "Buck and the Preacher" and "Uptown Saturday Night" -- the latter in which he starred alongside Poitier. He also starred in "White Man's Burden" alongside John Travolta and Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman."
He eventually became an EGOT winner, nabbing an Emmy, three Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony over the course of his career.
Belafonte was also celebrated by the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989, was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Belafonte lent his voice and support to several political and social issues, including prostate cancer advocacy (he was diagnosed and successfully treated), the HIV/AIDS campaign and the Civil Rights Movement. As a trusted confidant to fellow civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., he was said to have financially assisted the reverend's family, later bailing him and civil rights protesters out during the 1963 Birmingham Campaign.
Belafonte also financed the Freedom Rides, encouraged voter registration and played a vital role in organizing the March on Washington.
His dedication to philanthropy has seen him hold positions as former President John F. Kennedy's appointed Peace Corps cultural advisor, UNICEF's goodwill ambassador, chairman of the International Symposium of Artists and Intellectuals for African Children, and ambassador for the Bahamas. Prior to his death, he was on the board of directors of the Advancement Project and the Advisory Council of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
Belafonte leaves behind his wife Pamela, whom he married in 2008, and four children -- son David and daughters Adrienne, Shari and Gina -- as well as two stepchildren and eight grandchildren.
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