(© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)
Eartha Kitt, the legendary Broadway star and singer, has died of colon cancer at age 81.
Kitt began her performance career as a dancer with the Katharine Dunham troupe, and made her Broadway debut in 1945 in Carib Song and also appeared in the revue Bal Negre. She gained fame in New Faces of 1952, in which she sang “Monotonous,” and later starred in the musical Shinbone Alley. Kitt earned Tony Award nominations for her work in Timbuktu and The Wild Party. Her last appearance on the Great White Way was in the revival of Nine, in which she took over the role of Liliane Le Fleur.
She played the Fairy Godmother in the New York City Opera production of Cinderella. In 2007, she won an Audelco Award for her work in the Off-Broadway musical Mimi Le Duck and she also appeared in the Westport Country Playhouse’s production of the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical All About Us.
Kitt had an extremely successful recording career, and was known for such songs as “I Want to Be Evil,” “C’est Si Bon,” and “Santa Baby.” In addition, she worked frequently in film and television, including notable roles in St. Louis Blues, Anna Lucasta, and Batman. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her voice work in the animated show The Emperor’s New School and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for a guest role on I Spy.
Her career derailed briefly in the 1960s, however, after she made anti-Vietnam War comments at the White House at a luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson, causing her to work primarily in Europe for a number of years.
Throughout her career, Kitt was much in demand as a cabaret and concert performer, often selling-out long engagements at the Café Carlyle. She celebrated her 80th birthday with a sensational concert at Carnegie Hall as part of the JVC Jazz Festival.
She is survived by her daughter, Kitt Shapiro.
