Harry Belafonte Dead: Singer and Actor Dies at 96
Harry Belafonte, beloved singer, actor, and EGOT winner, has died at age 96 of congestive heart failure. Belfonte died at his New York home on Apr. 25, 2023, with his wife, Pamela, by his side. Four children and two stepchildren survive him, reported ABC7 New York.
Harry Belafonte was a native New Yorker
Harry Belafonte was born Harold Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, New York, on March 1, 1927. He lived with his grandmother in Jamaica from 1932 to 1940 before returning to New York City and serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Following the war, Belafonte took acting classes at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York City while also performing with the American Negro Theatre. He developed an appreciation for folk music while working as a club singer in New York to help pay for acting lessons. RCA Victoria signed Belafonte to a recording contract in 1953.
The legacy of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Calypso’
Belafonte scored his first hit in 1953 with the traditional calypso song “Matilda, Matilda.” It paved the way for his breakthrough album Calypso, released in 1956.
Calypso became the first LP to sell over one million copies. The album topped the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart for 31 consecutive weeks. It included several signature Harry Belafonte songs, including “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” (featured in the film Beetlejuice) and “Jamaica Farewell.”
Dubbed “the king of Calypso,” Belafonte released singles and albums throughout the 1960s. He also recorded music in other genres, such as blues, gospel, and show tunes.
His fifth and final calypso album, Calypso Carnival, was released in 1971. Following the album, Belafonte significantly reduced his musical output. 1988’s Paradise in Gazankulu marked his final studio album.
Belafonte’s film and TV career
Harry Belafonte made his film debut in 1953’s Bright Road. Other early film roles included Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, Odds Against Tomorrow, The World, The Flesh, and The Devil.
After focusing on music during the 1960s, Belafonte appeared in more films beginning with 1972’s Buck and the Preacher. He appeared in films such as Uptown Saturday Night, White Man’s Burden, Bobby, and BlacKkKlansman.
During his career, Belafonte starred in several television specials, including the Emmy-winning Revlon Revue: Tonight with Belafonte in 1959. He guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for a week in 1968 and delivered a notable interview with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Belafonte also financed the Freedom Rides, encouraged voter registration, and played a vital role in organizing the March on Washington, reported ABC News. He was celebrated by the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989 and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994.
The singer and activist was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2022, when he received its Early Influence Award. This award is given to artists whose music and performance style have influenced and inspired rock and roll music.
Harry Belafonte’s marriages, relationships, and children
The singer and actor married Marguerite Byrd in 1948. They had two daughters, Adrienne and Shari, and separated in 1957. During the marriage, Belafonte had an affair with actor Joan Collins while filming Island in the Sun.
Collins said of the affair to Parade Magazine, “He was mesmerizing, and we soon began an affair, away from prying eyes, in my tiny apartment. But, after a few exciting liaisons, we knew we had to cool it. However, he went back to his wife, and I moved on.”
Belafonte married his second wife, Julie Robinson, in 1957. Together, they have two children: David and Gina. Belafonte and Robinson divorced in 2004. He married photographer Pamela Frank in 2008, who remained by his side until his death. He has eight grandchildren.
