Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer and civil rights activist, passed away on Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 96 years old.
Belafonte was born in Harlem to West Indian immigrants and became an iconic figure in the 1950s music scene, making history by smashing racial barriers with his highly personal brand of folk music. He was not the first Black entertainer to transcend racial boundaries, but he made a bigger impact than any before him. His hit records such as “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jamaica Farewell” ignited a craze for Caribbean music and his album “Calypso” reached the top of the Billboard album chart and stayed there for 31 weeks. He was said to be the first artist to sell over a million copies with a single album.
Belafonte’s success as a singer led to movie offers, and he became the first Black actor to achieve major success in Hollywood as a leading man. However, his priority was civil rights, and he became a close friend and ardent supporter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He provided much of the seed money to help start the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was one of the principal fund-raisers for that organization and Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He provided bail money for Dr. King and other civil rights activists and took part in the March on Washington in 1963. He quietly maintained an insurance policy on Dr. King’s life, with his family as the beneficiary, and donated his own money to ensure the family was taken care of after Dr. King was assassinated in 1968.
Belafonte continued to perform and appear in movies well into the 21st century, but his primary focus was civil rights. His legacy as a trailblazer in both the music industry and the civil rights movement will be remembered for generations to come. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and fans around the world.
