Harry Belafonte‘s passing, at the age of 96, rocked the musical world, but the talented star leaves behind a wide-ranging legacy for fans to remember him by.
Belafonte was far more than his diverse array of musical hits. Despite the fact that his album releases alone number in the dozens, Belafonte somehow found time to also dedicate himself to ongoing political and humanitarian activism. He made a name for himself as a clear musical talent with the release of his first several albums — most notably Calypso — before branching off and dedicating time to the Civil Rights Movement, in which he was a major player and close personal confidant to Martin Luther King Jr., and played a key role in the organization of the original “We Are The World,” a Grammy-winning track that helped raise funds for famine-affected communities in Africa, specifically Ethiopia and Sudan.
That’s just the tip of the iceburg. Over his nine and a half decades of life, Belafonte released a full 30 albums, appeared in twice as many film and television roles, and frequently contributed to progressive social and political movements. He didn’t shy away from continued work in the political sphere as he got older, either. He was one of George W. Bush’s biggest detractor’s during the former president’s time in office, came out on several occasions to vocalize his support for Barack Obama, and even stood behind Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election.
That’s not to mention his business ventures — which saw him create an opulent private community on the Caribbean island of Bonaire — or his work with UNICEF and support of the LGBTQ+ community. The man’s political, humanitarian, musical, and acting resumes stretch for pages, leaving little mystery as to his persisting relevance nearly 100 years after his birth. Tributes continue to pour in, celebrating the late star’s many, many contributions to the world, and honoring all the hard work that made him a household name.
Harry Belafonte’s net worth
All of the achievements listed above barely scratch the surface of Harry Belafonte’s life. The dedicated musical talent labored continuously, over the course of his life, to make this planet — and this country — a better place, and largely succeeded in his aims. Three dozen studio albums, 60 film and television roles, and one massively successful business venture later, its no surprise that Belafonte lived comfortably with the enviable wealth he built up over the years.
At the time of his death, Belafonte was worth an estimated $30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He would likely be worth quite a bit more if not for his dedication to charity work, which saw him contributing funds to vital causes as far back as the 50s. During the Civil Rights Movement, he even provided funds for the King family — as Martin Luther King Jr. brought in small sums from his work as a preacher — and bankrolled the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s trip to Mississippi a few years later, in 1964.
And that’s just in his early years. As time went on, Belafonte remained just as generous, supporting dozens of charities and traveling the world to lend his aid wherever it was needed. His mark on the world will far outlive the man himself, as people continue to remember the long-lasting legacy of Harry Belafonte.