Lena Horne, a legendary singer and entertainer, died late Sunday night at the age of 92 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital according to her spokeswoman Gloria Chin. Horne, a singer, actress and civil rights activist, worked almost all of her 92 years and even in the modern day stood as a symbol of dignity. Noted Leslie Uggams, a fellow African-American performer who says she was inspired by Horne, "She is a lady." Add Uggams, "Black women were only allowed to play maids in the movies, and all of a sudden, the black community had this goddess."
As the great-granddaughter of a freed slave, Horne grew up around relatives who were active in civil rights organization, including the Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Before she was a celebrity, she followed suit, then continued to do so throughout her career. She broke into show business in the 1930s while still a teenager, working as a dancer at the Cotton Club. She later appeared on Broadway and then toured with the bands of that era.
She first got to Hollywood in the 1940s, and was the first black actress to be granted a long-term contract with MGM. She appeared in films like "Cabin In the Sky" and "Stormy Weather" and later performed for U.S. troops during World War II and even spoke out against U.S. internment camps that held Japanese Americans. Horne continued to work into the 1990s, and won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 1995.
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