Celebration of Harry Belafonte's life held at Lincoln Center
NEW YORK -- Tributes continue to pour in for legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte, who died Tuesday at age 96.
There was a celebration of life Wednesday; one generation to the next all gathered at Lincoln Center to remember Belafonte.
"I canceled everything to be here tonight," Park Slope resident Beth Handman said.
"I really loved him," Upper West Side resident Valerie Rivera said.
Related stories:
- Harry Belafonte remembered as "extraordinary artist, giant of the civil rights movement, and incredible New Yorker"
- Harry Belafonte's legacy honored in his Harlem home
- Former congressman Charles Rangel remembers friend, fellow son of Harlem Harry Belafonte
The Impact Children's Chorus serenaded the crowd. Many who came from far and wide enjoyed learning more about the well-renowned actor, musician and activist.
"Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, those were the people I grew up hearing about, and then later on in life, I learned about his activism," Park Slope resident Alison Duff-Gbaje said.
"It's great that people still appreciate and remember him, what he meant to the civil rights movement, and to folk music and Caribbean music," Park Slope resident Kenny Bruno said.
Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center's chief artistic officer, says the Belafonte Family Foundation reached out and thought it would be a great space for gathering -- and it was.
"He has galvanized so much of what of what we think about, of what it means to be an artist and an artist that's so deeply embedded in his own values," Thake said.
Belafonte last performed at Lincoln Center in 2014 during the summer concert series.
