Harry Belafonte Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Harry Belafonte, the actor, singer and civil rights trailblazer, has died, aged 96.

Tony Bennett from the likes of Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse are set to go to auction next month.A trove of items that belonged to the late singer are set to go up for sale at Julien’s Auctions on April 18, including letters and rarities addressed to him from Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Madonna, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones and Barbra Streisand and more.The legendary American singer died on July 21 in his hometown of New York, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was aged 96.The item expected to fetch the most at the auction is a typewritten thank you letter from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Thania Garcia A collection of letters, photos and more from the late Tony Bennett will go up for sale via Julien’s Auctions on April 18. The trove of items includes rarities addressed to Bennett from stars like Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Madonna, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones and Barbra Streisand, among others.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Celebrating the release of his first solo album, “Honeymind,” Tony Award winner Ben Platt just announced a concert residency at Broadway’s Palace Theatre.

Ben Platt will play an exclusive, 18-performance concert residency at Broadway’s recently refurbished Palace Theatre early this summer to celebrate the release of his upcoming third album Honeymind.

Sunday night’s 2024 Oscars, angry viewers at home ripped the R.I.P segment online.The ABC broadcast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, made it challenging to see the names and faces of deceased stars in the emotional In Memoriam, put dancers in front of the screen and frequently showed Italian singers Andrea Bocelli and son Matteo Bocelli instead of the dead.“The direction of this In Memoriam is shocking,” wrote user @LoganKenny1 on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The entire image should be the people who’ve died, not the dancers and the stage.

Andrea Bocelli performed a rendition of the song ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ with his son Matteo Bocelli to accompany the Academy’s annual obituary section. Perhaps mindful of previous years, in which eagle-eyed viewers have jumped on omissions, this year’s “In Memoriam” seemed both comprehensive but at the same time not enough, with a bizarre postscript that lumped together artists as diverse as (in alphabetical order) Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor, Paolo Taviani and Treat Williams in a well-meaning but unintentionally backhanded postscript.

to The Hollywood Reporter. Born in Toronto in 1926, Jewison got his start in the business directing television musical spots. In 1958, he directed “Your Hit Parade” for CBS, then directed “The Andy Williams Show,” two Harry Belafonte specials, and and award-winning Judy Garland specials.After moving into the movie industry, he became a seven-time Oscar nominee.

Norman Frederick Jewison, acclaimed and incredibly versatile director of In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck, died peacefully Saturday, January 20, 2024 at home at the age of 97.

You may not remember, but Ethiopia’s 1983–1985 famine prompted many musical artists to take humanitarian action. First, there was Band-Aid, formed by Bob Geldolf and all the U.K.

Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd has left fans saying 'no way' as he posed them with a 'cute or ugly' question when it came to a beloved family member. Away from the cobbles. the actor is loved-up with girlfriend Hanni Treweek.

Less than a month after giving her uncensored opinions about Robert Redford in Cannes, Jane Fonda was at the Tribeca Festival on Saturday speaking her mind about the climate crisis, Joe Biden, and her father Henry Fonda.

activist, who passed away at the age of 96 on April 25 of this year, reflecting on his life and the frustration that he has seen so many negative forces emerging upon the public stage in his twilight years. “The truth of the matter is that the enemy doesn’t sleep,” Belafonte states amid scenes of torch-bearing Charlottesville Nazi protestors shouting “blood and soil.”Belafonte collaborated with Rostock over the last 12 years of his life to create this film, a film intended to help transition his knowledge and experience to as many artists, activists and young leaders as possible.

activist, who passed away at the age of 96 on April 25 of this year, reflecting on his life and the frustration that he has seen so many negative forces emerging upon the public stage in his twilight years. “The truth of the matter is that the enemy doesn’t sleep,” Belafonte states amid scenes of torch-bearing Charlottesville Nazi protestors shouting “blood and soil.”Belafonte collaborated with Rostock over the last 12 years of his life to create this film, a film intended to help transition his knowledge and experience to as many artists, activists and young leaders as possible.

Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin and was the father of Spike Lee, has died aged 94.The musician died at his Brooklyn home yesterday (May 24), according to a publicist for Spike Lee, confirmed to The New York Times.

Bill Lee, the accomplished Jazz musician who collaborated with the likes of Cat Stevens, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan and also scored many of his son Spike Lee’s films, has died according to multiple reports. He was 94.

Thania Garcia Bill Lee, the jazz bassist who played with Bob Dylan and Duke Ellington before composing scores for his son Spike Lee, died at his Brooklyn home on Wednesday morning. No cause of death has been confirmed. He was 94. The news was confirmed on Spike Lee’s official Instagram where he shared a series of portraits of his late father captured by David Charles Lee. He also shared The New York Times obituary and the album art for his 1989 film “Do The Right Thing” score, which Bill Lee composed. The late Lee also wrote the soundtracks for his son’s first three feature films: “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986), “School Daze” (1988), and “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990). He also scored an early Spike Lee short, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” the first student film to premiere at Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films Festival, in 1983.

Warner Bros. has set a release date for Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice 2.” Sadly, saying his name three times won’t summon the movie any earlier than Sept.

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.

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. 

John Legend shared that Harry Belafonte had a profound impact on his life both professionally and personally.

died Tuesday after he was stabbed in a shower at a California prison, authorities and his attorney said. He was 22. Born Jaime Brugada Valdez, the Huntington Park, California, native died at a prison medical facility after his body was discovered around 10 p.m.

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.

Spike Lee urged people to "celebrate our elders" as he paid tribute to Harry Belafonte. The legendary musician, actor, and activist died on Tuesday (25. 04.

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.

Harry Belafonte’s family is remembering his legacy.

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.