Harry Belafonte, Activist & Entertainer, Passes Away At 96
etcanada.comHarry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has passed away.
He was 96. Belafonte passed away Tuesday due to congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Paula M.
Witt, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis. With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit “Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” and its call of “Day-O!
Daaaaay-O.” But he forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robeson’s decree that artists are “gatekeepers of truth.” He stands as the model and the epitome of the celebrity activist.
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