Visit Your Local PBS Station PBS Home PBS Home Programs A-Z TV Schedules Watch Video Support PBS Shop PBS Search PBS

   
 the Online NewsHour
E-mail This Page Print This Page
the Online NewsHourThe Web site of the NewsHour with Jim LehrerChevronIntelCorporation for Public Broadcasting
BROWSE BY
REGION
TOPIC
RECENT PROGRAMSLOCAL TV LISTINGSSUBSCRIPTIONSTEACHER RESOURCESSEARCH
   Arts and Entertainment Archive
« Previous Entry | Blog Main | Next Entry »
performing
Singer, Performer Eartha Kitt Dies at 81
Eartha Kitt at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Seattle, 2007; photo by sea turtle via Flickr
Posted by Tom LeGro, December 26, 2008

Eartha Kitt's first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," was released in 1954, featuring "Santa Baby." The song has since remained a radio staple every holiday season, and there's no doubt countless heard it on Christmas Day, the day she died.

Kitt, the singer, dancer and actress, who amazed and seduced audiences for six decades, died Thursday at age 81. The cause was colon cancer, a family spokesman said.

Make a Comment    |    Read Comments 16     |    Email    |   + Del.icio.us    |   + Facebook   |   + Digg

Comments

  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    02:55 PM
    Dawn : What a beautiful & talented lady. She'll be missed.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    06:59 PM
    larry hochhaus : so what was the name of the poem eartha kitt read at the school of dramatic arts... the poem that brought her out of her shell?
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    07:14 PM
    Lori : Ms Eartha Kitt! Sadly, great talents like her are fading away only to be replaced with a bevy of shallow, young performers. How incredible that Ms Kitt used her talent as a catharsis of sorts to heal herself from her pain. In doing so, she brought so much joy to so many people. I can't wait until Feb '09 to see the Eartha Kitt Special on PBS. Many Thanks!
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    07:23 PM
    Ginny : Eartha was a joy .. she will be missed
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    07:35 PM
    Wayne : I had the honor of seeing/hearing Eartha Kitt on my birthday last year at the Cafe Carlyle. She gave a wonderful performance that I will remember for many years. A great loss both in terms of her talent and in terms of her personal integrity and strength.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    08:20 PM
    celia : Eartha has been and still is a great inspiration to me.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    08:23 PM
    A Philadelphian daughter of a South Carolinian : After 40 years of waiting, a dream came true for me when I saw her show in November 2007. What a dynamic, powerful, talented, beautiful and inspiring woman. My elders and I continuously loved her music and politics. Even when it was not popular to like either. Thank you Ms. Kitt. Adieu.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    08:31 PM
    Linda : I, too, would like to know what the poem was. I'm glad she shared with us that she was looking for affirmation that she was a worthwhile person and thought she could find that on stage....searching for that affirmation is a powerful force many of us share. I'm glad she was so successful in her career and I hope she knew how valuable she was.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    09:03 PM
    Len : I, too, had the great fortune to see Eartha Kitt last year at the Cafe Carlyle. What a tremendous and versatile talent and what a wonderful role model. She will be missed.
  • Posted:
    12/26/08 at
    11:01 PM
    Bob : Like Larry, I'm dying to know the poem. I was stunned that Ifill didn't ask her that question. It was the obvious follow-up. Does anyone know? How about you, Gwen? Help us out!
  • Posted:
    12/27/08 at
    06:47 PM
    Katie : Great interview, Gwen. Please share with us the name of the poem Eartha mentioned that helped her gain entrance to the school of dramatic arts.
  • Posted:
    12/29/08 at
    11:38 AM
    Ladytink_534 : Can't help but cry. She will be missed :(
  • Posted:
    12/29/08 at
    01:19 PM
    fsnyc : I saw her twice at the Cafe Carlyle in the mid-90s and she was unforgettable, exciting, powerful, funny and warm. She would suddenly enter the room from the kitchen and sometimes she would kiss whatever lucky man was standing in her way. I read her books, listened to her recordings and loved her for her individuality. What an incredible, beautiful person. She lived well, on her own terms and inspired so many of us.
  • Posted:
    02/ 9/09 at
    04:57 PM
    Christopher Gilliard : A diva in the true sense of the word!!! Originals like her aren't seen very often. I'm just glad that I got to see and hear her.Thanks Gwen Ifill for your special.
  • Posted:
    02/15/09 at
    08:12 PM
    frazier : thank for being the real Catwoman!! RIP!!
  • Posted:
    02/23/09 at
    12:53 AM
    sand : She is still missed
Post a Comment:
(The Online NewsHour encourages readers to comment on our blog posts. We seek comments that are brief, on topic, civil, truthful and not abusive. We pre-moderate comments, so it might take some time for your comment to appear. Thanks for waiting.)
Name: (required, pseudonym ok)
Email address: (required, will not be published)
Comment:
 

 
Broadcast Reports
Search this Blog
About Art Beat
Art Beat is the arts blog of the Online NewsHour. Questions or comments? E-mail us at artbeat@newshour.org.
PODCAST: ITUNES   |   XML     HEADLINE FEEDS:   RSS   |   ALL
SIGN UP FOR EMAIL ALERTS:
Arts Correspondent
Jeffrey Brown

Jeffrey Brown

Correspondent Jeffrey Brown covers all things art and entertainment in these online exclusive reports.
» Read Jeffrey Brown's Entries

For Teachers

Lesson plans, student voices and a teacher community devoted to bringing arts coverage into the classroom.

TEACHER ARTS ARCHIVE

NewsHour Poetry Series

An exploration of the role of poetry in society and profiles of contemporary poets, with streaming video and downloadable readings.

RECENT HEADLINE: Weekly Poem: 'Re: Happiness, in pursuit thereof'

Brought to you in part by:

National Endowment for the Arts

The Joyce Foundation 

Poetry Foundation

 
 
 
ABOUT US   |   FEEDBACK   |   SUBSCRIPTIONS / FEEDS: 
POD|RSS		 Support the kind of journalism done by the NewsHour...Become a member of your local PBS station.
Funded, in part, by:IntelChevronCorporation for Public Broadcasting
PBS Online Privacy Policy

Copyright ©1996- MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. All Rights Reserved.