Editorial: Harry Belafonte’s ‘rebellious heart’

A poignant irony came wrapped in the news that Harry Belafonte had died of congestive heart failure Tuesday at age 96. Surely, one easily imagines, the iconic singer, actor and activist would take issue with that diagnosis. Although his body had failed after almost a century of history-making activism and award-winning artistic achievements, his spirit never did. It was a life rich with achievements and honors. The “King of Calypso,” as Harold George Belafonte Jr., was called after his runaway 1956 hit “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” would go on to win three Grammy Awards, an Emmy and a Tony, …

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