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US singer Eartha Kitt dies at 81 | US singer Eartha Kitt dies at 81 |
(30 minutes later) | |
American singer and actress Eartha Kitt has died at the age 81, a family friend has said. | American singer and actress Eartha Kitt has died at the age 81, a family friend has said. |
Kitt was said to have been suffering from colon cancer. | |
She was one of the few artists to be nominated in the Tony, Grammy and Emmy award categories and was a stalwart of the Manhattan cabaret scene. | She was one of the few artists to be nominated in the Tony, Grammy and Emmy award categories and was a stalwart of the Manhattan cabaret scene. |
She famously played Catwoman in the 1960s Batman television series and was known for her distinctive, feline drawl. | |
Kitt was blacklisted in the US in the late 1960s after speaking out against the Vietnam War at a White House function. | |
However, she returned triumphantly to New York's Broadway in a 1974 production, Timbuktu!, and continued to perform regularly in theatre shows and concert halls. | |
She rose to the top of the entertainment world from humble origins. | |
Her mother worked on a cotton plantation and was just 14 when she gave birth. | |
Kitt was then given away at the age of eight and sent to live with an aunt in New York. |