Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96

The Grammy, Emmy and Tony winning star died of congestive heart failure at his New York home on Tuesday, with his wife by his side, according to a spokesperson.

Reluctantly nicknamed “The King of Calypso”, he was largely responsible for bringing Caribbean music to an international audience in the 1950s, and the first singer – in any genre -to sell a million records in a year.

His song Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora) had a recent resurgence, going viral on TikTok in 2020, and featuring in the 1988 film Beetlejuice, as did his signature song Banana Boat (Day-O).

One of the first black performers to gain a wide following on film, he starred in movies including Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun and Odds Against Tomorrow.

Just last year, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, becoming the oldest person ever to receive the honor.

Alongside his sparkling Hollywood career, he was a committed activist, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

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