Harry Belafonte, a singer, songwriter, and groundbreaking actor who started his entertainment career belting out “Day O” in his 1950s hit song “Banana Boat” before turning to political activism, has died at the age of 96.
Key points:
- Harry Belafonte began his career as a calypso singer best known for his 1950’s hit “Banana Boat” song
- His acting work pushed racial boundaries in a segregated US, which led him to the civil rights movement
- Later in life Belafonte worked in humanitarian areas with UNICEF and the UN
The cause of Mr Belafonte’s death was congestive heart failure, his longtime spokesperson Ken Sunshine told the New York Times.
Attempts by Reuters to reach Sunshine were not immediately successful.
As a black leading man who explored racial themes in 1950s movies, Mr Belafonte would later move on to working with his friend Martin Luther King Jr. during the US civil rights movement in…
