Entertainment, civil rights notables honor Harry Belafonte

NEW YORK (AP) — Reaction poured in Tuesday from civil rights leaders and the entertainment world following the death of Harry Belafonte at age 96. As a groundbreaking activist, charismatic singer, Hollywood leading man, Broadway star and Black entertainer, Belafonte’s loss was felt across a wide swath of American life.

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“Harry Belafonte was a true mentor and friend. I am heartbroken to hear of his death but inspired by the long, fruitful life he led. 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. He was a culture-changing entertainer, a history-changing activist and an unmatchable intellectual. Rest in peace and power, Mr. B.” — the Rev. Al Sharpton.

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“When I was a child, Harry Belafonte showed up for my family in very compassionate ways. In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings. … I won’t forget. Rest well, sir.” — Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

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“Harry Belafonte was a standard bearer, in the tradition of (Paul) Robeson, for generational artistry and deeply informed & committed social & political engagement. Maybe the last of a great tribe. As smart as he was knockdown handsome. He met the moment throughout his life. What a man.” — actor Jeffrey Wright.

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“If you think about what it means to be an artist and an activist, he was literally the epitome of what that was. I don’t know people know how much he did. So gifted as an artist, as a performer, but used his platform in almost a subversive way because he would sneak messages in there — revolutionary messages — when people thought he was just singing about good times in the islands. He was always like infusing messages of protest and revolution in everything he did, and not only that, but he used his resources. He’s one of the most successful artists of his time. He used those resources to fund the civil rights movement.” — musician John Legend, speaking at the Time100 summit.

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“Harry Belafonte didn’t just speak truth to power, he shouted it, he sang it, he made people listen to the truth. This great son of Harlem leaves behind a legacy in arts and in civil rights that has changed the world for the better.” — New York Mayor Eric Adams.

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“Artists uniting to use their art form to make transformational change in the world … is one of the great benefits to living a public life. Harry Belafonte exemplified this and utilized every aspect of his immeasurable talent, applying it specifically to the plight of other human beings and their civil rights.” — actor Jamie Lee Curtis, who posted an image of a 1953 Ebony magazine cover featuring Belafonte and her parents, actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

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“I am deeply sad at the loss of my very dear brother, the great Harry Belafonte. His artistic genius, moral courage and loving soul shall live forever.” — civil rights activist and scholar Cornel West.