Harry Belafonte was a singer, activist, and actor from the United States. Harry Belafonte died at age 96 on April 25, 2023, at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City.
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The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to his longtime spokesman Ken Sunshine.
In the 1950s, Harry Belafonte was arguably the most successful Caribbean-American pop star, popularising Jamaican mento folk songs, which were marketed as Trinbagonian Calypso musical style to an international audience.
Calypso (1956), his breakthrough album, was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte was best known for his recordings of “The Banana Boat Song,” which featured the iconic “Day-O” lyric, “Jump in the Line,” and “Jamaica Farewell.”
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He also appeared in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).
Harry Belafonte received three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. He was awarded the Kennedy Centre Honours in 1989. In 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts.
In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category, making him the oldest living recipient.
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