Monday, May 10, 2010

Lena Horne, 1917-2010

One of the true legends of entertainment, Lena Horne, died Sunday at a New York City hospital at the age of 92. Because Lena was highly successful for such a long period, she had a string of noteworthy appearances in the movies and on TV that stretched across generations:


Performing her signature tune "Stormy Weather" in the 1943 movie of the same name:




Singing the ABC's with The Muppets on Sesame Street:





Singing a song for Cliff on his birthday on The Cosby Show.

A 1994 televised performance of her live album An Evening with Lena Horne:



In addition to her unquestionable talent, Lena Horne was the gold standard to many (including me) when it came to celebrities who aged gracefully. She was a remarkable performer and woman who will be greatly missed.


Side note: TV Land will be airing Lena's classic 1973 appearance on Sanford & Son this week on Tuesday May 11th at 7 pm EST and the following day at 9 am EST. You can also click here to watch the episode on You Tube.

If you have any favorite memories of Lena Horne, please share them in the comments section.

4 comments:

Ann said...

I so loved Ms. Lena as Glinda in The Wiz! She was perfect for the role - had the beauty and the pipes! She will be missed!

pjazzypar said...

Most memorable to me was probably when she was on Sanford and Son or the Cosby Show. Both Fred Sanford and Cliff Huxtable were CRAZY about them some Lena...LOL! There are legends and then there are LEGENDS! RIP Ms. Horne.

Stagg said...

I'm gonna try to be happy and celebrate her life lived to the utmost!! She was another catagory all by herself! R.I.P. pretty lady-some song birds now have a new teacher!!

STAGG

Malcolm said...

Ann: I saw part of "The Wiz" when I was kid, but stopped watching it because it didn't live up to the hype. I've been meaning to reevaluate it... maybe one of these days I will.

Pjazzy: Lena was really good in that episode of "Sanford and Son". One of the things that stuck with me years after seeing that episode is how she referred to Fred as "jiving and conniving" when she found out what he was up to.

Stagg: I agree. One thing that's been disappointing is the lack of coverage the media gave to Lena's death. At least that's the way it seemed to me.

 
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