R.I.P. Lena Horne, 1917-2010
Another one of the jazz greats, Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010), has passed away aged 92.
Horne was the winner of numerous awards, including eight Grammies – one for the incomparable and underrated An Evening With Lena Horne – and has two stars on Hollywood Boulevard - one for music and one for movies.
Lena Horne began singing in the early 1930s, and continued her career well into the 1990s. During the course of her long career she duetted with such great names as Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Tony Bennett, and Sammy Davis Jr.
In addition to being a performance star, Lena Horne was active in the Civil Rights movement. In the early 1940s she worked with noted trades unionist and peace activist Paul Robeson. During WWII Horne refused to play to segregated audiences and as a result, she ended up performing in front of a mixed audience of black US soldiers and white German POWs. Her association with Robeson, along with her uncompromising stand against segregation, led to Horne being blacklisted in the 1950s, but she refused to let it affect her continuing work for what she strongly believed to be one of her highest callings.
Horne died on May 9, 2010, at the NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. The circumstances of her death were withheld.
--James Petts
qin shihuang on May 11, 2010 at 10:25 PM
Nice post,nice jazz.Thanks for sharing.
Hugo on May 11, 2010 at 05:38 PM
R.I.P.
Nice first post, Sir. Welcome to Chordstrike. ~ Hugo