Harry Belafonte, Calypso King Who Worked for African-American Rights, Dies at 96

Even though Prince Harry only stayed in England for roughly 24 hours for the coronation, he made sure to carve out some time to catch up with one family member during his brief visit.

Prince Harry and his uncle Prince Andrew put aside their personal royal dramas to attend the coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla. The Duke of Sussex was all smiles as he chatted with his cousin Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi before walking into Westminster Abbey on Saturday in London.The 38-year-old sat in the third row next to another cousin, a heavily pregnant Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank. The 38-year-old’s wife, Meghan Markle, was noticeably absent from the ceremony.The Duchess of Sussex stayed behind in the couple’s home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Harry was in attendance at King Charles III's historic coronation, but his role was not what many once expected for his father's big day.Harry was spotted entering the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning with his cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princes Eugenie, and Zara Tindall, as well as their respective spouses. He seemed in good spirits, smiling and chatting with Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and sat with his family — next to Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank, and directly behind his aunt, Anne, Princess Royal.ET spoke with royal expert Eloise Parker ahead of the May 6 ceremony, who shared some insights on what would likely go down between Harry and Charles during the coronation and it wasn't too far off from what viewers saw Saturday.«I fully expect Prince Harry to be very much on the sidelines during this ceremony,» Parker shared. «This ceremony is all about King Charles III and the Queen Consort, so I would expect even the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, will also be at the sidelines for this [event].»It was recently revealed that Harry would be attending the coronation alone -- while his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children — Archie, who turns 4 on Saturday, and Lilibet, 1 — will remain at home in California. "[There was] some surprise that Harry is going alone, [but] not so much when you realize that it's his son, Archie's, birthday the very same day," Parker explained.

Prince Harry and and Prince Andrew will not have formal roles at the Coronation, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.The Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York, who are no longer working royals, will attend the service on Saturday, but will not perform any duties.The two men will also be absent from the procession behind the Gold State Coach carrying the newly crowned King and Queen from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony. All eyes will be on Harry as he faces his relatives in public for the first time since he criticised King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales in his tell-all memoir Spare.

The Tribeca Festival today announced its Storytellers Series, which includes Paul McCartney in conversation with Conan O’Brien for a podcast recording of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp in conversation with David Letterman.

Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84.Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital.

Gordon Lightfoot passed away this evening in a Toronto hospital at 7:30 p.m. More info to come..Posted by Gordon Lightfoot on Monday, May 1, 2023Lightfoot’s death comes less than a month after he announced the cancellation of his 2023 United States and Canada tour.

two major family events this coming week. The Duke of Sussex is expected to attend his King Charles III's coronation in London on May 6 as well as his son Archie's 4th birthday celebration back home in Montecito, California.

When the late Sidney Poitier embarked on a movie career in the early 1950s, he entered an industry with a history of depicting Black people in the most negative fashion. The Birth of a Nation, the seminal 1915 silent film, had set the template – portraying African American characters as sex-crazed and subhuman. 

Thania Garcia Hollywood is mourning Harry Belafonte, the Calypso singer, award-winning performer and activist, who died on April 25 of congestive heart failure at age 96. The Caribbean-American entertainer is lauded as one of the most versatile recording artists of the 1950s and was one of the first Black leading men in cinema. He also had a fierce commitment to activism throughout the 60s and participated in numerous protests and marches including the Freedom March on Washington in 1963 (alongside his friend and actor Sidney Poitier) where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Tastemakers like Berry Gordy, Tony Bennett, Oprah Winfrey and more paid their respects and celebrated Belafonte’s work, calling him a “trailblazer” and “great entertainer.”

Harry Belafonte – the calypso singer best known for his signature song ‘Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)’, as well as his civil rights activism – has died at the age of 96.The veteran performer and civil rights activist passed away in his Manhattan home from congestive heart failure, as confirmed by spokesman Ken Sunshine to The New York Times.Belafonte began his career in the late-1940s, where it’s believed that his first-ever live performance was backed by jazz legends Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. His debut album, ‘Mark Twain and Other Folk Favourites’, was released via RCA in 1954.It was the release of his third studio album ‘Calypso’, however, that served as his breakthrough. Featuring ‘Day-O’ as its opening track, the album became his first to surpass one million sales.Belafonte was prolific through to the early ’70s, releasing two albums a year on average.

John Travolta penned a heartfelt tribute to his late White Man's Burden costar Harry Belafonte, who passed away from congestive heart failure, at 96, on Tuesday. Hours after the civil rights icon's spokesman confirmed he died at his home in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife Pamela by his side, the Grease star, 69, paid homage to the Caribbean-American pop star on his Instagram Story. 'I had the great pleasure of working with Harry Belafonte in 1995,' the father-of-three captioned a black and white image of them together.

Rita Moreno Harry Belafonte, who passed away today at the age of 96, was not only a Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winning singer and actor, he was a vitally important activist who brought many top Hollywood actors to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary march on Washington in 1963. Below, his longtime friend, EGOT-winning actress, singer and dancer Rita Moreno, remembers that day, and more. Harry Belafonte was the reason that a planeload of movie stars showed up for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in August 1963. The trip came about at his behest. Harry wanted very much for Dr. King to understand that there were people in Hollywood who really cared, people who were emotionally involved in politics and cared for the welfare of people of any color.

Harry Belafonte, the prolific and hugely popular artist who brought Carribbean music into the American mainstream, has died. He passed away this morning (Tuesday, April 25) in his home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to his longtime spokesman, Ken Sunshine, who also confirmed his cause of death as congestive heart failure.

A.D. Amorosi In a rich musical career initially defined by the lilting sounds of calypso, over the course of seven decades, Harry Belafonte — the actor, activist, producer and vocalist who died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at the age of 96 — was so much more. The brassy showtunes of Broadway, the finesse of folk and blues, and the simmering songs of jazz, R&B and Tin Pan Alley’s standards were this lyric baritone’s playgrounds.Yet there was so much more to Belafonte’s music than his signature hits like “Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” “Come Back Liza,” “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” and his 1956 blockbuster album, “Calypso.” Here are a handful of Belafonte’s other career bests.“Man Piaba” (1954)While his debut album with RCA, “Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites,” was filled with live versions of traditional folk songs, it was an original co-written with Jack K. Rollins – the film and television producer, who first talent managed Belafonte to great success – where the singer made his mark. Triple timing his lyrics faster than Jay-Z and writing intergalactic lyrics tying him to Albert Einstein, relativity and the Hayden planetarium made Belafonte a smart, funny force to be reckoned with.

Martin Luther King Jr. (including speaking at the 1963 March on Washington) and other pivotal faces of the civil rights movement, standing up for migrant farmworkers, working in support of LGBTQ, or becoming a voice in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, Belafonte forged a strong commitment to activism. In fact, in 1968, Belafonte became the first Black person to helm a late-night talk show when he hosted for a week.

Singer, actor and staunch civil rights activist Harry Belafonte as died aged 96, it's been announced.

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.

Harry Belafonte died on Tuesday, April 25. He was 96.

Harry Belafonte has sadly passed away.