She was the epitome of beauty, class, elegance and intelligence. She was the first black performer to secure a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio. Her career spanned decades and she used her influence to shatter stereotypes and to advocate for causes including anti-lynching and desegregation.
In a 1997 Los Angeles Times profile, jazz critic Don Heckman described Horne as “one of the legendary divas of popular music” — a singer who “belonged in the pantheon of great female artists that includes Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae.”
While her signature song was “Stormy Weather,” what comes to mind more readily when I think of her is “If You Believe in Yourself (Reprise)” from “The Wiz,” one of my favorite films. In the movie, set in Harlem where she started her own career in the Cotton Club, Horne portrayed Glinda the Good Witch. The words from the chorus linger in my mind right now and I also remember that she appeared on “Sesame Street” and the “Muppet Show” and the “Cosby Show” – Heathcliff Huxtable had a serious crush on her. Through these appearances she gained recognition, an awareness among my peers who also grew up in the ’70s and ’80s gauging from their comments of appreciation posted online today. She will always be remembered and missed.
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