Harry Belafonte death updates — Banana Boat Song icon dies at 96 as son David shares heartfelt tribute

Harry was involved with Joan Collins

In his 2011 memoir, My Song, Harry Belafonte wrote of his relationships and admitted to having extramarital affairs.

In her autobiography Passion for Life, actress Joan Collins opened up about her brief affair with Belafonte, who was married at the time, while the two were filming Island in the Sun.

“Although we had no scenes together, the all-British crew teased me relentlessly when they noticed how often Belafonte — who was married — threw me suggestive glances,” Collins wrote.

“He was mesmerizing, and we soon began an affair, away from prying eyes, in my tiny apartment.

“But, after a few exciting liaisons, we knew we had to cool it. He went back to his wife and I moved on.”

“Woe to the musician who missed his cue, or the agent who fouled up a booking,” Belafonte wrote.

Harry spoke about a ‘rebellious heart’ in 2016

In 2016, Belafonte was stopped on the streets of Harlem by a group of teens who asked him what he was looking for at this stage of life.

“What I’ve always been looking for: Where resides the rebel heart?” Belafonte replied.

“Without the rebellious heart, without people who understand that there’s no sacrifice we can make that is too great to retrieve that which we’ve lost, we will forever be distracted with possessions and trinkets and title.”

Belafonte goes Hollywood

Harry Belafonte was known for his legendary music career but he also acted in multiple films as well.

Below is a list of some of the movies Harry Belafonte appeared in:

• Bright Road
• Buck and the Preacher
• Uptown Saturday Night
• White Man’s Burden
• Kansas City

More on the Banana Boat Song

Many fans knew Harry Belafonte as the man who sang the Banana Boat Song, also known as Day-O!

The song is a call-and-response song from Belafonte’s time in Kingston, Jamaica.

“Work all night on a drink of rum,” the song goes, “Daylight come and we want go home.”

This song, along with others on his breakthrough record, Calypso, made a name for the singer when it became the first LP in history to sell more than 1 million copies in a year.

The civil rights icon passed away from congestive heart failure at 96 years old at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 25, 2023.

Harry’s activism ‘came first’

Harry Belafonte was the son of a Jamaican mother who worked as a servant.

The family grew up in poverty, which, Belafonte later revealed, impacted him from a young age.

He said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News that he’s often asked when, as an artist, he decided to become an activist.

“My response to the question is that I was an activist long before I became an artist. They both service each other, but the activism is first.”

Harry brought a new style to the world

A child of West Indian immigrants, Harry Belafonte signed his first record deal with Roost Label in 1949 and quickly developed an interest in folk music.

His 1956 album, Calypso, shot him to stardom, reaching number one on the Billboard charts, with hits like Day – O (The Banana Boat Song) and Jump in the Line.

Belafonte, a major force in the civil rights movement, brought the Trinbagonian Calypso music style to a global audience while amassing his fortune and striving to change the world.

Harry made history with the Banana Boat Song

Born in New York City on March 1, 1927, Harry Belafonte began his career in music as a Midtown nightclub singer before gathering huge crowds in downtown jazz clubs like the Village Vanguard.

Belafonte is best known for his folk song Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), which was inspired by Belafonte’s time in Kingston, Jamaica.

This song, along with others on his breakthrough record Calypso, made a name for the singer when it became the first LP in history to sell more than 1million copies in a year.

Iconic rapper and actor pays tribute

Harry Belafonte’s spokesman, Ken Sunshine, announced that the cause of his death was congestive heart failure, according to The Washington Post.

Since his death was announced several fans and industry colleagues have taken to Twitter to pay their respects to the beloved singer, civil rights activist, and EGOT winner.

Among the tributes was one from rapper Ice Cube, who said: “He was more than a singer, more than an actor and more than a man…Harry Belafonte will be missed.”

Harry Belafonte has four children

Harry Belafonte and Pamela Frank were married for 15 years, but they never had any children together.

He did, however, welcome four kids during his previous marriages.

During his first marriage to Marguerite Belafonte, which lasted from 1948 to 1957, he welcomed daughters, Shari Belafonte and Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer.

He then welcomed his son, David Belafonte, and his third daughter, Gina Belafonte, during his second marriage to Julie Robinson, which lasted from 1957 to 2008.

Prior to her marriage to Belafonte, Frank welcomed daughters, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank.

Harry’s marriage to Pamela Frank

Harry Belafonte married Pamela Frank in 2008 and they were together up until his 2023 passing.

Outside of being known as Belafonte’s widow, she is known for her career as a photographer.

Despite a high-profile marriage, not much is known about Frank’s personal life because she often stays out of the spotlight.