Odetta Dies at 77

The legendary blues singer Odetta, who gained fame in part due to her active role in the civil rights movement, died on December 2 in New York City of heart failure, according to The New York Times. She was 77 years old.

Born Odetta Holmes, the singer first began her professional career in a production of Finian’s Rainbow before finding success in the San Francisco coffeehouse circuit. Throughout her more than 50-year career, she performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, and recorded numerous albums, including Odetta Sings Blues and Ballads and Odetta Sings Dylan.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded her the National Endowment for the Arts Medal of the Arts and Humanities.