Stage and Screen Legend Lena Horne Dies at 92

Tony and Grammy winning actress/singer Lena Horne passed away at the age of 92 on May 9 in New York City. A pioneer for civil rights in the entertainment industry, Horne was the first African-American performer to sign a long-term contract with a Hollywood studio.

Horne frequently performed at New York’s famous Cotton Club early in her career before appearing in Broadway revues such as Dance With Your Gods and Blackbirds of 1939. Horne made her MGM film debut in 1942’s Panama Hattie singing Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things.” She followed with Vincente Minnelli’s Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather and Broadway Rhythm. In 1946, she played Showboat’s Julie LaVerne in the Jerome Kern biopic, Till the Clouds Roll By.

Horne returned to the Broadway stage in the 1957 Harold Arlen musical Jamaica, receiving her first Tony nomination for the show. She would not return to Broadway until 1974 when she performed a month-long concert series with Tony Bennett titled Tony & Lena Sing. Horne staged another Broadway concert in 1981 with Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. The show, which included such standards as “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”, “The Lady is a Tramp” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” ran for over a year and earned Horne a Special Tony Award, as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Horne also portrayed Glinda the Good opposite Diana Ross and Michael Jackson in the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz.