![Harry Belafonte](./media_1b56aa534351c95d6d7f3fc1acf56303bd49e8623.jpeg?width=750&format=jpeg&optimize=medium)
Famed activist and singer Harry Belafonte has died at 96.
Earlier today (April 25), Belafonte’s longtime spokesperson Ken Sunshine informed NBC News he passed away Tuesday morning of congestive heart failure.
The Harlem-born actor is remembered as the “King of Calypso.” It was a title given to the late singer for his successful take on folk music, which was an expression of his Black and Caribbean experience. Born in 1927, Belafonte became a popular musician in his late 20s and early 30s. The Caribbean-American pop artist generated an international fan base with his critically acclaimed studio album Calypso in 1956. Billboard said it was also his second No. 1 on its Top Pop Albums chart.
But outside of music, Belafonte was heavily involved in the civil rights moment, films, and activism. In 1960, he received an Emmy for his work on the musical special “Tonight With Belafonte.” He became the first Black artist to do so, NBC News shared.
It was also around that time Belafonte began increasing his efforts with Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. The outlet mentioned that the pair initially met in 1956 at an N.Y. event for reformers working in Montgomery, Alabama. During Sen. John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960, Belafonte worked alongside him. And after his election, the 96-year-old activist became a liaison between Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Martin.
Belafonte also bailed Martin out of jail in 1963 in Alabama, where the civil rights movement was critical. The relationship between Belafonte, Martin, and his wife, Coretta Scott King, developed into a trusting and valued bond. So much so that after Martin was assassinated, Belafonte was appointed executor of his estate.
Coretta later shared her thoughts on Belafonte in her 1969 autobiography, “My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr.” In it, she said, “Whenever we got into trouble, or when tragedy struck, Harry has always come to our aid, his generous heart wide open.”