Monday, May 10, 2010

Lena Horned Passes Away at 93; Living a full life

Legendary singer Lena Horne passed away at 92 in NYC on Sunday.



She is most commonly known for a career that spanned films, radio, television, recording, nightclubs, concert halls and Broadway.



Horne started as a chorus girl and the Cotton Club in Harlem when she was 16 for $25 a week during the depression. She got a nightclub job in Hollywood that led her tp a 7-year contract at MGM, where she was the first African American performer to be signed.



She refused to play maids and other stereotypical roles offered to black actors and appeared in dozen of films - mostly non-speaking. Lena became best known for her song Stormy Weather and was also the first African American to appear on the cover of a movie magazine, Motion Picture.



Lena earned the Kennedy Center Honors in 1984 and received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1998.



Lena Horne lived a life we all should live, with risks.  She married a Caucasion man in a time were interracial relationships were not accepted.  Broke racial and color barriers in Hollywood and never played it safe when it came to speaking her mind and playing movie roles.  Towards the end of her life, she said she felt "fulfilled" and felt like she was complete.  If your life were to end in 24 hours, could you say the same thing.  If not, you might need to get to living then!

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