Didn't know she was bi-racial: Kitt was born Eartha Mae Keith on a cotton plantation in the tiny town of North, South Carolina. Though her ancestry is somewhat uncertain, she stated her mother was of African-American descent, and her father, German and Dutch descent. She claimed she was conceived of rape.[4] Kitt was raised by Anna Mae Riley, a black woman whom she believed to be her mother, but after Riley's death, she was sent to live in New York City with Mamie Kitt, reportedly Riley's sister. Eartha Kitt believed that Mamie Kitt was her biological mother; she had no knowledge of her father's identity, except that his surname was Kitt and that he was the son of the owner of the plantation on which she had been born.[4] Kitt suffered terrible abuse and neglect at the hands of a family to whom Anna Mae Riley entrusted her, or "given away for slavery" as Kitt described in many interviews.
She was a old school entertainer..like sammy davis jr. played of the Catwomen on the Batman t.v. show from the 60's.
Yep its such a shame, i remember her from the old batman shows, and her gritty husky voice was so distinctive,
She was an old school entertainer. I beleive she played in Eddie Murphy's movie Boomerang. God bless her soul!
She also sang the original Santa Baby song. I heard she was multitalented: dancing, singing, and acting. Not one entertainer is even close to being that sexy and that talented these days; I would say the closest to her level now is Vanessa Williams. Anyway, Ms. Kitt's influence will greatly be missed, but she won't be forgotten.
