Eartha Kitt, sultry 'Santa Baby' singer, dies

[Amelia]

Eartha Kitt, sultry 'Santa Baby' singer, dies

By POLLY ANDERSON

Associated Press Writer

Dec 25, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81.

Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer.

Kitt, a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" famous for her catlike purr, was one of America's most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Her career spanned six decades, from her start as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham troupe to cabarets and acting and singing on stage, in movies and on television. She persevered through an unhappy childhood as a mixed-race daughter of the South and made headlines in the 1960s for denouncing the Vietnam War during a visit to the White House.

Through the years, Kitt remained a picture of vitality and attracted fans less than half her age even as she neared 80.

When her book "Rejuvenate," a guide to staying physically fit, was published in 2001, Kitt was featured on the cover in a long, curve-hugging black dress with a figure that some 20-year-old women would envy. Kitt also wrote three autobiographies.

Once dubbed the "most exciting woman in the world" by Orson Welles, she spent much of her life single, though brief romances with the rich and famous peppered her younger years.

After becoming a hit singing "Monotonous" in the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1952," Kitt appeared in "Mrs. Patterson" in 1954-55. (Some references say she earned a Tony nomination for "Mrs. Patterson," but only winners were publicly announced at that time.) She also made appearances in "Shinbone Alley" and "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Her first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," came out in 1954, featuring such songs as "I Want to Be Evil," "C'est Si Bon" and the saucy gold digger's theme song "Santa Baby," which is revived on radio each Christmas.

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[Amelia]

I just loved Ertha Kitt. And if you call me you will hear her singing Santa Baby on my phone. And IMHO she was THE BEST Catwoman ever!

[Liz]

I totally agree with Amelia. We were listening to Santa Baby while looking at lights last night. This is just a shame.

[Kountzer]

Growing up as a child the adults in my life really looked up to her, as a sort of black role model. i would go into detail, but it would take too long, and to be honest I am not interested in doing so. Back then I personally thought she was outdated, but I was just a child. What did I know? I have since come to admire and respect her multiple talents and he longevity as a entertainment celebrity. She will be missed.

DB