HARRY BELAFONTE, 94 YEARS OLD

Harry Belafonte is celebrated as one of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars in history. Popularizing the Trinidadian Caribbean music style, Belafonte was dubbed as the “King of Calypso” in the 1950s. He was the first million-selling LP by a single artist for his breakthrough album, Calypso, in 1956. With the signature lyric, Day-O, Belafonte is well-known for recording The Banana Boat Song. The Jamaican singer has recorded and performed in various genres, including gospel, show tunes, folk, blues, and American standards.

In the early 1950s and 1960s, Belafonte became an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and a confidant of Martin Luther King II. The Jamaican singer has been an advocate for humanitarian and political causes, like the USA for Africa, and Anti-Apartheid Movement, and many more. He received the Grammy Awards thrice throughout his career, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Tony Award, Emmy Award, Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of Arts, and Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award—credit to his passionate approach to music and benevolence.