“Santa Baby” Singer Eartha Kitt Died At 81

The original sexy voice behind Christmas song Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt, passed away.

The seductive singer died on -precisely- Christmas day, she was 81. Kitt’s publicist and a long-time friend, Andrew Freedman, confirmed her death in New York City because of ill.

The singer, actress and also dancer had been recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for colon cancer. The cancer was detected about two years ago and treated but recurred after a period of remission. As Freedman said, “She came back strongly. She had been performing until two months ago. We had dates booked through 2009.”

Kitt famously known for singing in her distinctively raspy voice and purring like a cat as Catwoman on the ’60s TV series Batman, she also described herself as a “sex kitten” and used her seductive purr to charm audiences across the world.

Along with Lena Horne, Kitt was one of the first African-American sex symbols. Not only a notable singer, she was a great actress too, proven by three Tony awards nominations, winning two Grammy awards and two Emmys.

Kitt began her career after she bravely auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe, which finally gained her a spot as a featured dancer and vocalist. She also made her film debut in Casbah in 1948. Kitt didn’t have such a happy childhood, often harassed for being light-skinned before being sent to live with an aunt in New York City. But it didn’t stop her to became a legendary singer after all.

Kitt was once made headlines when she boldly speaking out against American involvement in the Vietnam War while she was at a White House luncheon in 1968. Bold action that cost her a lot. For four years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas. She was investigated by the FBI and CIA, which allegedly found her to be foul-mouthed and promiscuous. It took about 10 years for her career to recover, then she comeback on Broadway in the musical Timbuktu!

Beside the famous Santa Baby, Kitt’s other hit songs included C’est Si Bon, Let’s Do It and Just an Old Fashioned Girl. Kitt was also quite an author, she wrote three autobiographies. She married Bill McDonald in 1960, but divorced him after the birth of their daughter, Kitt Shapiro. Her daughter and four grandchildren survive her and her legendary status.

So long Eartha Kitt. We’ll miss you.

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