The civil rights pioneer and musician Harry Belafonte passed away at the age of 96.
According to a representative, the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning performer passed away on Tuesday in his New York home from congestive heart failure while his wife was by his side.
He was reluctantly dubbed “The King of Calypso” and was the first performer of any genre to sell a million recordings in a single year in the 1950s, helping to popularize Caribbean music worldwide.
His song Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora), as well as his signature tune Banana Boat (Day-O), has saw a comeback after becoming popular on TikTok in 2020 and appearing in the 1988 film Beetlejuice.
Did Harry Belafonte serve in the military?
Belafonte attended Wolmer’s Schools while living with one of his grandparents in Jamaica from 1932 until 1940.
He attended George Washington High School in New York City following his return, at which point he enlisted in the American Navy and served there during World War II.