Black performers in Hollywood and beyond were pioneered by the late Lena Horne, who was also an activist for civil rights. Her velvety voice, stunning good looks, and fearless demeanor made her famous.
At the age of 92, she passed away in New York City on May 9, 2010. This article will discuss Lena Horne’s life and legacy in addition to her death and its cause.
Lena Horne Cause of Death
Gail Lumet Buckley, Lena Horne’s daughter, states that her mother passed away in New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center from heart failure. She and her daughter and grandchild were residing in an apartment in Manhattan when her health began to decline.
Due of her family history of cardiac issues, Horne had coronary bypass surgery in 1980. She was also asthmatic, arthritic, and diabetic. The string of strokes and pneumonia that began in 2000 forced her to retire from public life.
Many in the entertainment world, as well as Horne’s loved ones and admirers, were saddened by her passing. Many people looked up to her because she was an inspiration, a pioneer, and a humanitarian.
Harry Belafonte, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, and Leontyne Price were among the notable speakers at her memorial ceremony, which took place at New York’s St. Ignatius Loyola Church. A tribute concert in her honor was held at the Lincoln Center, featuring Audra McDonald, Wynton Marsalis, James Ingram, and Patti Austin, among others.
The Life and Legacy of Lena Horne
Brooklyn, New York is the site of Lena Horne’s birth on June 30, 1917. Her family had deep ties to Senegal, Europe, and Native America, and she was born into an illustrious Black family that was well-educated. She got her start singing and dancing with stars like Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway as a chorus girl at Harlem’s Cotton Club.
After that, she uprooted her life and headed west, where she made history by signing a multi-year deal with MGM, the first black actress to do so. Cabin in the Sky, Ziegfeld Follies, Stormy Weather, and The Wiz were among Horne’s many film credits.
Till the Clouds Roll By, Show Boat, and The Wizard of Oz are just a few of the many soundtracks that included her singing. Her iconic song “Stormy Weather” served as a soundtrack to her life and work. Horne was a victim of racism and sexism in and out of the entertainment industry.
It was common for Southern audiences to have her scenes taken out or for her to be cast in small or stereotypical parts. Additionally, she was placed on the McCarthy-era blacklist due to her political affiliations and opinions.
She took part in the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, both of which she publicly supported as a civil rights activist. The National Association of Colored People, the Urban League, and the UN were among the many organizations that she backed.
In 1981, Horne’s one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, garnered a Tony Award, continuing her fruitful career on Broadway. In 1989, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award among her four Grammys.
The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame all had her as an inductee. The National Medal of Arts, the NAACP Image Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors were among her other accolades.
Lennie Hayton, a white composer and conductor, was Horne’s second husband after his marriage to civil rights leader Louis Jordan Jones. Jenny Lumet was one of her four grandchildren; she also had two children, Teddy and Gail. Among her extramarital affairs were those with Billy Strayhorn, Orson Welles, and Artie Shaw.
For many Black women and entertainers, Horne served as an inspiration, a trailblazer, and a celebrity. She triumphed against hardship and left an indelible mark on the world as an elegant, dignified, and talented woman. Through thick and thin, she weathered storms and shone as an activist, singer, and actress. It was a loss to lose Lena Horne.
You can visit our website, lakecountyfloridanews.com, for further updates, obituaries, autopsy reports, and information about the causes of death of other people.
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