Singer, actor and activist for human rights in the world, Harry Belafonte died Tuesday April 25, 2023 in New York, arousing a wave of tributes.
[Updated April 26, 2023 9:46 AM] He was and will remain one of the faces of human rights activism in the United States and around the world: Harry Belafonte, legendary singer and comedian, died Tuesday, April 25, 2023 He was 96 and died at his home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side from congestive heart failure, his publicist announced in a press release.
After the announcement of his disappearance, inevitably, there is a torrent of tributes on social networks. President Joe Biden salutes a “revolutionary American who used his talent, his notoriety and his voice to redeem the soul of our Nation”. Born in 1927 “when segregation was the norm of American society”, Harry Belafonte “devoted his entire life to breaking down barriers and bridging divisions”, adds the Democratic leader, who has just announced his candidacy for re-election. in 2024.
“Harry Belafonte was a legend who broke down barriers and used his platform to uplift others,” wrote Barack Obama, referring to “his signature smile and style.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres writes that “in addition to touching millions of people with his inimitable charm and charisma in music, film and theater, Mr. Belafonte had dedicated his life to fighting for human rights and against injustice in all its forms”. Artists like John Legend have also paid tribute to the memory of Harry Belafonte, hailing his “subversive” and “revolutionary” songs.
Born March 1, 1927, in Harlem, New York City, the son of West Indian immigrants, Harry Belafonte broke down racial barriers in 1950s America, becoming a key figure in civil rights activism in the United States. . Close to Martin Luther King, he had also distinguished himself in charitable works in Africa, where he was also an ardent opponent of apartheid. We owe him titles like Banana Boat (Day-O), Island in the Sun, Jamaica Farewell, Jump in the Line or Coconut Woman. But the African-American artist was also known to be a strong civil rights activist in the United States and around the world.
Close to politicians like J.F. Kennedy in the 1960s, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela, Harry Belafonte was engaged until the end of his life. In 2013, he received the Ambassador of Conscience award from Amnesty International for his commitment as an activist in favor of human rights, then supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries of the American Democratic Party in 2016. 2021, he had been made Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur by the French Embassy in the United States.
Singer, comedian and activist Harry Belafonte died on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. He was 96 years old. In the press release announcing his disappearance, his publicist claims that the artist died of congestive heart failure.
Singer Harry Belafonte has married three wives. He married the first, Marguerite Byrd (deceased in 1998), in June 1948. Together, they were two daughters, Adrienne and Shari, before divorcing in 1957. In second marriages, the artist married Julie Robinson, with whom he has two new children, David and Gina. The couple finally divorced in 2004. Four years later, Harry Belafonte married a third wife, photographer Pamela Frank.
