By Khulile Thwala
Harry Belafonte, who dominated the pop charts and smashed racial barriers in the 1950s with his highly personal brand of folk music, and who went on to become a dynamic force in the civil rights movement, has died.
He died on Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 96. The cause was congestive heart failure, said Ken Sunshine, his longtime spokesman.
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According to the New York Times, at a time when segregation was still widespread and black faces were still a rarity on screens large and small, Belafonte’s ascent to the upper echelon of show business was historic.
When I was a child, #HarryBelafonte showed up for my family in very compassionate ways.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 25, 2023
In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings.
Here he is mourning with my mother at the funeral service for my father at Morehouse College.
I won’t forget…Rest well, sir. pic.twitter.com/31OC1Ajc0V
He was not the first black entertainer to transcend racial boundaries; Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and others had achieved stardom before him. However, none had made as much of a splash as he did, and for a few years no one in music, black or white, was bigger.
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Born in Harlem to West Indian immigrants, he almost single-handedly ignited a craze for Caribbean music with hit records like “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jamaica Farewell.” His album “Calypso,” which included both those songs, reached the top of the Billboard album chart shortly after its release in 1956 and stayed there for 31 weeks.
The world has lost a true giant today. Harry Belafonte was a barrier breaker who helped reshape our world through his civil rights advocacy, his music, and his acting. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/rhWZ5GOc6R
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 25, 2023
Coming just before the breakthrough of Elvis Presley, it was said to be the first album by a single artist to sell more than a million copies.
Today we honor and remember the life of our friend, Harry Belafonte. Take a moment with us to reflect and honor his legacy and enjoy this Sesame Street classic. pic.twitter.com/MwLJDc4kt5
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) April 25, 2023
