Calypso Star Harry Belafonte Dies At 96
NDTV
The barrier-breaking artist-activist Harry Belafonte died of congestive heart failure at his New York home, according to the publicist's statement.
Harry Belafonte, the superstar entertainer who introduced a Caribbean flair to mainstream US music and became well known for his deep personal investment in civil rights, died Tuesday in Manhattan, his publicist said. He was 96.
The barrier-breaking artist-activist died of congestive heart failure at his New York home, according to the publicist's statement.
Born in Harlem to a Jamaican mother and a father from the French territory of Martinique, the calypso singer and actor spent part of his childhood in Jamaica before returning to New York -- a binational upbringing that shaped his musical and political outlooks, and saw him campaign tirelessly for racial equality.
Harry Belafonte's calypso, the genre of Caribbean music that drew from West African and French influences, saw him skyrocket to fame in the midst of post-World War II prosperity and suburbanization.
