“Remembering Harry Belafonte: The Singer, Actor, and Human Rights Advocate”

Web Variety he added that the artist died in his home in Manhattan, New York, specifically of heart failure.

The American singer, known in the 1950s as the King of Calypso, was born in Harlem in 1927 to immigrants from the Caribbean.

However, at the age of five, his family sent him back to Jamaica, to his grandmother. He didn’t return to New York until he started high school. He brought with him an unrepeatable music mix.

He began his artistic career only after the Second World War, in which he actively participated in 1944.

As a singer, he initially focused on pop and jazz in nightclubs. New York’s Royal Roost gave him a big chance. In 1949 he made his recording debut with Roost Records. He soon became interested in American folk music.

As a performer, he popularized the polyrhythmic vocal musical style of calypso originating from the Caribbean region, but he also sang blues or gospel. His biggest hits were The Banana Boat Song (Day-O), Matilda and Shake Shake Shake Señora.

At the same time, he also became famous as an actor and producer. He was one of the first black actors to make it in Hollywood. Later, he was involved in the production of theatrical films and television films.

All his life he was also an active fighter for human rights, for the rights of minorities. He was also a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr., an important voice in the civil rights movement in the 1960s in the United States. Later he devoted himself to charity work for the benefit of African countries.

At the same time, Belafonte was one of the most awarded artists of his era. He has won two Grammy Awards (and a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000), a Tony Award, and an Emmy Award, among others.

He also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 2014 Governors Awards. It is considered a kind of Oscar, which is awarded for humanitarian work.