Harry Belafonte, beloved music and film icon, has passed away aged 96 on April 25th, 2023. The Brooklyn-born singer, actor and activist began his career in 1950, performing at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. It was this early success that brought him to national fame with the release of "Calypso", an album that went on to be the first to sell over one million copies in the United States. Belafonte’s success in the music industry spread quickly, leading to notable feature film roles, such as his portrayal of Walter Lee Younger in the film adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961). Belafonte was a passionate and lifelong civil rights activist, marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1963 March on Washington, advocating for Nelson Mandela’s release from prisons in South Africa and appearing in documentaries like “Swing Low: Sweeping the Globe” about the Civil Rights Movement's impact in Europe. Belafonte won countless accolades for his work over the years including an Academy Award in 1974, 11 Grammy Awards, and the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1967. In June 2014, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. awarded him its highest honor, the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. He is survived by his daughter, son-in-law, four grandchildren and great-granddaughter. Belafonte was predeceased by his wife, Julie Robinson Belafonte, in October 2020.