In Memoriam
Eartha Kitt
January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008 · aged 81
Vocal Jazz · Cabaret · Pop
Eartha Mae Kitt was an unstoppable force of nature, possessing one of the most distinctive, purring vocal styles in the history of jazz and cabaret. Born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina in 1927, she overcame a childhood of extreme poverty and abuse to become an international sensation. Orson Welles famously dubbed her 'the most exciting woman in the world.' Her sultry, provocative delivery made hits out of 'Santa Baby' and 'C'est Si Bon,' while her television role as the definitive Catwoman in the 1960s 'Batman' series cemented her pop culture immortality. Unapologetically fierce, she effectively derailed her own American career for a decade when she spoke out against the Vietnam War directly to the First Lady at a White House luncheon in 1968. Kitt triumphantly returned to Broadway and dance music in her later years. She died of colon cancer on Christmas Day in 2008 at the age of 81, remembered as a fearless trailblazer and a masterful entertainer.
Milestones
Santa Baby, C'est Si Bon, I Want to Be Evil
Also remembered in 2008
- Bo Diddley (1928–2008)
- Isaac Hayes (1942–2008)
- Mitch Mitchell (1946–2008)
- Richard Wright (1943–2008)