Entertainers, civil rights leaders and friends of Harry Belafonte paid tribute after his death Tuesday, with many remembering the artist and activist as a pioneer and hero.
Belafonte, a Harlem native behind the hit “The Banana Boat Song” and the first Black performer to win an Emmy, died of congestive heart failure at his New York home, his representatives confirmed.
“Thank you for your music, your artistry, your activism, your fight for civil rights and justice — especially risking your life back in the day to get money to the movement,” Oprah Winfrey captioned an Instagram post. “Your being here on Earth has Blessed us all.”
Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., reflected on her father’s friendship with Belafonte. She also shared a photo of her mother, Coretta Scott King, and Belafonte mourning together at King’s funeral.
“When I was a child, #HarryBelafonte showed up for my family in very compassionate ways,” she tweeted. “In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings.”
Social justice activist Rev. Al Sharpton lauded Belafonte as a “true mentor and friend.”
“I am heartbroken to hear of his death but inspired by the long, fruitful life he led,” Sharpton said in a statement. “He realized his platform gave him the ability to affect change. He used it to advance the civil rights movement and get others in his position off the sidelines.
“I cherished the time he would give me and others to both guide and correct us,” Sharpton continued. “He was a culture-changing entertainer, a history-changing activist, and an unmatchable intellectual.”
Actress Mia Farrow remembered Belafonte as a “deeply caring and moral man,” while Brooklyn-bred filmmaker Spike Lee called him a “dear friend.”
“Harry Belafonte didn’t just speak truth to power, he shouted it, he sang it, he made people listen to that truth,” Mayor Adams tweeted. “This great son of Harlem leaves behind a legacy in the arts and in civil rights that has changed the world for the better. He will be truly missed.”
Former Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel said he met recently with Belafonte at the singer-actor’s home.
“He was frail and his voice was weak but he was talking about the things we had to do to bring this nation past the polarization and hatred that exists,” Rangel said. “I never found anyone as committed personally to the civil rights movement, even at the expense to his professional career and his family. He was talking about what we have to do next.”