Harry Belafonte, a popular singer, actor, and activist credited with introducing Caribbean music to the United States and funding the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday at the age of 96, according to his spokeswoman.
Belafonte rose to prominence in the 1950s with parts in films and musical theater that broke new ground for black Americans in the entertainment business.
His career took off when he produced enormously successful interpretations of Caribbean folk and calypso tunes, most notably “Day-O (Banana Boat Song).” The King of Calypso, as he came to be called, utilized his vast riches and fame to advance civil rights and other progressive causes until his death.
Former President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 rekindled Belafonte’s enthusiasm for social justice. In January 2017, he was a co-chair of the nationwide Women’s March protests against the new president.
“I’m playing a role that I feel equipped for and knowledgeable about,” Belafonte stated at the time. “I’ll be 90 years old in a couple of weeks, and I believe that being of mind and capacity to still contribute to making our union a better place and to helping our country become a better place is a joyous task.”
On March 1, 1927, in Manhattan, Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. was born to Jamaican immigrants. His mother, who was not allowed to dwell in the United States until later in life, eventually changed their surname to Belafonte to evade detection by immigration authorities.
Belafonte attended high school in Manhattan after spending part of his childhood in Jamaica. He dropped out at the age of 17 to join the United States Navy during World War II. Belafonte’s experiences with prejudice in the military left an indelible mark on him.
In his 2011 book, “My Song,” Belafonte stated, “I’d had enough of military service: not just the numbing routine and the mortal risks with munitions, but the all-too-frequent incidents of prejudice that kept me in an almost constant state of simmering rage.”