Actor, musician and civil-rights leader Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96.
The Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning performer and humanitarian died from congestive heart failure. Belafonte was considered a trailblazer who opened up doors for African-American performers across an entertainment career that spanned more than six decades.
He starred in more than 30 films, including an appearance in the 2019 Academy Award-winning film Blackkklansman. He also appeared in more than 25 television shows, including his 1959 CBS special Tonight with Belafonte, which won a 1960 Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series.
As a singer, Belafonte popularized Caribbean-flavored music in the U.S. His 1956 album Calypso, which featured his famous Banana Boat Song (Day-O), sold more than 1 million records, an astounding number at the time. Belafonte also won a Tony Award for his performance in 1953’s John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.
Belafonte during his career also received a Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Belafonte was also a key supporter of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and serving as a liaison between the movement and the entertainment community. He was also a tireless supporter of human rights causes across the globe.
