He died of congestive heart failure while in his New York home with his wife Pamela by his side, according to his public relations firm.
Belafonte was born in Harlem to a Jamaican mother and a father from the French territory of Martinique. He became a superstar entertainer who introduced a Caribbean flair to mainstream US music.
He gained fame for hits such as "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," selling millions of records throughout his career. He was one of the first Black artists to succeed against the backdrop of segregation.
But he also dedicated much of his time, and money, to pursuing civil rights. He was a close friend to Martin Luther King Jr and his family.
Harry Belafonte: A legend's life in pictures
He became a world star with his version of "The Banana Boat Song" in the 1950s. The "King of Calypso," who died at the age of 96, was not only a gifted entertainer, he was also deeply committed to human rights.
Image: W. Baum/dpa/picture alliance
Sounds from the Caribbean
His tunes are known around the world: "The Banana Boat Song" with its cheerful "Day-O," or "Matilda," about a girl who steals money from a young man before disappearing to Venezuela, as well as the Caribbean love song "Island in the Sun." Thanks to these popular songs, entire generations know Harry Belafonte, who has died at the age of 96.
Image: Everett Collection/picture alliance
The 'King of Calypso'
In 1956, Belafonte had his breakthrough in pop music with the album "Calypso." Critics accused him of mixing calypso music with jazz and folk elements to create a canned pop sound. But Belafonte just laughed off the bad reviews, inviting his critics to a debate instead: "Anyone who tries to stop me with nonsense about what is or isn't commercial is in for a fight."
Image: Keystone/Getty Images
Working with Nat King Cole
By 1960, Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole were superstars. Together, they started a production company called Cole-Belafonte Enterprises, which supported many musicians of color. They are said to have thrown a coin to decide whose name would come first to designate the company. They also memorably performed the song "Mama Look a Boo Boo" together on NBC in 1957.
Image: UPI/dpa/picture alliance
A Hollywood star
He dreamed of playing Hamlet on stage as a child. In 1954, film director Otto Preminger picked Belafonte for his musical film "Carmen Jones." All actors in this adaptation of Bizet's opera "Carmen" were African-American. Belafonte became famous. Roughly 40 films were to follow. Among them was "Buck and the Preacher," where Belafonte (left) starred alongside his friend Sidney Poitier.
Image: United Archives/IFTN/picture alliance
A lovely family
Harry Belafonte married three times. Pictured here is his second wife, Julie, with their son David. When they married in 1957, interracial marriages were still unusual in the US, but that didn't stop the young couple. They stayed together for 50 years. One year after their divorce in 2007, Belafonte married for the third time. He had four children altogether.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Publifoto
Best friends
Many artists to who rise to fame as early and rapidly as Belafonte often struggle to cope with their success, escaping the pressures of popularity with drug abuse. But Belafonte avoided this path by investing his energy in the Civil Rights Movement. The movement's figurehead, Martin Luther King, became his mentor and one of his closest friends.
Image: Stringer/Getty Images/AFP
The March on Washington
Burt Lancaster, Harry Belafonte and Charlton Heston participated in the historical demonstration in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. More than 100,000 African-Americans also took part, demanding equal rights. That's where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Beyond the Civil Rights Movement, Belafonte remained an activist for humanitarian causes throughout his life.
Image: Schulman-Sachs/dpa/picture alliance
Messenger of peace all over the world
One could count on Harry Belafonte's presence whenever hundreds of thousands of people came together to demonstrate for peace and human rights. In 1981, he came to Bonn to join what was then Germany's biggest demonstration for peace. That Saturday, more than 300,000 people assembled in Bonn's Hofgarten to protest against the nuclear threat.
Image: K. Rose/dpa/picture alliance
With Udo Lindenberg in former East Germany
In 1983, Belafonte and West German rock star Udo Lindenberg were invited to East Berlin for a concert hosted by the Free German Youth (FDJ). The slogan was "For peace in the world — against NATO's double-track decision." The East German secret police, the Stasi, was present during the press conference, listening carefully to what the artists had to say. But that did not frighten off Belafonte.
Image: D. Klar/dpa/picture alliance
USA for Africa
Belafonte was inspired by the British benefit project Band Aid, in which numerous pop stars participated to collect funds for famine relief in Africa. In 1985, together with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, he launched the project United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa. A total of 45 US pop stars sang "We are the World" together, raising money for drought victims in Ethiopia.
Image: AP Photo/picture alliance
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Harry Belafonte was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987. He traveled to crisis regions to document living conditions there for the media. In 1993, he visited Rwanda in support of the UNICEF project "Rwanda's Forgotten Children," which saved thousands of orphans from the 1994 genocide.
Image: frm/dpa/picture alliance
Meeting Nelson Mandela
Harry Belafonte became a close friend of Nelson Mandela. For many years, Belafonte fought against the apartheid regime in South Africa, demanding the release of Mandela. In 1990, he was honored by the Nelson Mandela Award. The picture shows Belafonte with his second wife, Julie, during their visit to Nelson Mandela in 1999.
Image: T. Hadebe/dpa/picture alliance
Honorary Oscar
In 2014, Harry Belafonte was awarded an honorary Oscar for his lifetime achievement as an artist and social activist. "Perhaps we, as artists and visionaries, could influence people all over the world to see the better side of the human species," he said when he received the award. His old friend Sidney Poitier, who died in January 2022, was there on stage to congratulate him.
Image: REUTERS/K. Djansezian
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Reactions pour in
As news of Belafonte's death spread, tributes came from all sections of society, from fellow artists, politicians and even prominent CEOs.
Martin Luther King's daughter Bernice wrote on Twitter that the singer was very compassionate towards her family and even paid for babysitting her and her siblings.
US Senator Bernie Sanders said that Belafonte was not only a great entertainer, but also "a courageous leader in the fight against racism and worker oppression."
"Jane and I were privileged to consider him a friend and will miss him very much," Sanders said.
Ex-US President Barack Obama called Belafonte "a barrier-breaking legend who used his platform to lift others up."
"Michelle and I send our love to his wife, kids, and fans," Obama added.
American actress Mia Farrow also remembered Belafonte as a beautiful singer and "a brilliant and brave civil rights activist, a deeply moral and caring man."
Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the world has lost a true giant today. "Harry Belafonte was a barrier breaker who helped reshape our world through his civil rights advocacy, his music, and his acting," he wrote on Twitter.