Harry Belafonte, award-winning actor and singer, dead at 96

Harry Belafonte was known for the songs 'Jamaica Farewell' and 'Day-O'

Harry Belafonte has died at the age of 96.

Belafonte died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Paula M. Witt, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.

Besides singing, Belafonte was also known for his acting and as a supporter of the civil rights movement.

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Harry Belafonte on the radio

Harry Belafonte has died at age 96. (Getty Images)

Belafonte had been a major artist since the 1950s. 

He won a Tony Award in 1954 for his starring role in John Murray Anderson’s "Almanac," and five years later became the first Black performer to win an Emmy for the TV special "Tonight with Harry Belafonte."

In 1954, he also co-starred with Dorothy Dandridge in the Otto Preminger-directed musical "Carmen Jones," a popular breakthrough for an all-Black cast. His 1957 film, "Island in the Sun," was banned in several Southern cities, where theater owners were threatened by the Ku Klux Klan because of the film’s interracial romance between Belafonte and Joan Fontaine.

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Harry Belafonte at the Academy Awards

The musician was known for his songs such as "Day-O" and "Jamaica Farewell." (Getty Images)

The 1950s singer was known for songs such as "Day-O" and "Jamaica Farewell." He released his debut album in 1954 and his second album, "Belafonte" reached the top spot on the Billboard album chart just two years later.

His third album, "Calypso," proved to be his most successful and was the first album by a solo performer to sell more than a million copies in the United States.

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Belafonte was married three times, most recently to photographer Pamela Frank, and had four children. 

In addition to his wife, Belafonte is survived by his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte and David Belafonte; two stepchildren, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank; and eight grandchildren.

Harry Belafonte and his wife Pamela Frank

Harry Belafonte is survived by his wife Pamela Frank, his four children, two stepchildren, and eight grandchildren. (Walter McBride/WireImage)

Over the years, the singer and actor battled prostate cancer. After recovering, he went on to lecture about the disease in order to help spread awareness.

He had hoped speaking about it would help "improve" other people's experience with cancer. "For a long time, I had watched people speak about cancer in varying degrees of misinformation," he said, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte also had a successful acting career. (Getty Images)

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