Find the perfect Eartha Kitt Daughter stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. She wasn’t ever going to let go easily. She was previously married to Charles Lawrence Shapiro. Los Angeles: Singer Eartha Kitt leaves Cedars of Lebanon Hospital today, November 30, with husband William McDonald, real estate broker, and daughter... Eartha Kitt stands with her daughter and grandson at the premiere of … Shapiro also noted Kitt was never afraid to voice her opinions – even if it landed her in hot water. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 9 ozs. She died of colon cancer after recently being treated at a New York hospital. "She knew the importance of timing," says Shapiro with a laugh, "and in a way, it was poetic.". She really is a part of a history. “My mother didn’t leave this earth quietly,” recalled Shapiro. Relationships Eartha Kitt was previously married to Bill McDonald (1960 - 1965). Legal Statement. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. “This was 1967, and there were no women of color at that time wearing skintight bodysuits, playing opposite a white male with sexual tension between them! Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Download Images Library Photos and Pictures. The legendary entertainer Eartha Kitt called Connecticut home for many years until her death on Christmas Day in 2008. Market data provided by Factset. In a loving essay, Sharpiro wrote, “I still miss my mother talking to me. Eartha Mae was born into poverty in the small town of North, South Carolina, the illegitimate daughter of a young Black woman and a man she assumed to be white — and whose identity she never knew. Whether against the Vietnam War, a stance which almost cost her her career and launched an unwarranted investigation by the CIA, or in support of civil rights, she notes, "She used her voice to defend people who didn't have voices. "My mother survived so much," says Shapiro. Still, Kitt’s political views wouldn’t prevent her from enjoying a lasting Hollywood career, as well as a close bond with her daughter and grandchildren. ", Together till the end, she writes how her mother died in her arms on Christmas Day in 2008 from colon cancer at age 81. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. How fitting that the woman known for her sultry rendition of "Santa Baby," a song that was written for her, died on Dec. 25. Dedicated to keeping her mother's name and memory alive, Kitt recently founded Simply Eartha, a unique line of home and lifestyle accessories created to honor the beauty and wisdom of her mother.. His addiction, plus her mother's constant traveling, eventually led to their divorce in 1964.). It does take a village, but I do think she helped blaze a trail.”. (Photo by Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet/Getty Images) (Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet). "At the time in the South they referred to her as a 'yella gal,' because she was mixed race," says Shapiro. Born in the tiny hamlet of St Matthew's, South Carolina, Kitt's mother, Annie Mae Keitt, abandoned her daughter at an early age when she found a new man with little time for the light-skinned Eartha. Before the marriage ended in divorce in 1965, Eartha gave birth to Kitt on Nov. 26, 1961. And at her side was her daughter Kitt. Jul 8, 2013 - Celebrity pictures and photos from the world's first and only micro stock celebrity photo agency. (McDonald became addicted to opioids after suffering severe injuries from a grenade explosion in the Korean War. She had one daughter, Kitt Shapiro, with husband John William McDonald. As her career flourished, Eartha had romances with the rich and famous, but in June 1960, she married real estate developer Bill McDonald. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915 - 1985) on stage as Faustus, with Eartha Kitt (1927 - … They had one child, a daughter named Kitt McDonald, born on November 26, 1961. Eartha Kitt and her daughter Kitt Shapiro. ", "She never understood why people should be pigeonholed by race, religion, and sexual orientation," says Shapiro.. "Her point was we're all human beings. "Eartha Mae was the one who gave her strength," says Shapiro, who's new memoir Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter's Love Story in Black & White, is excerpted in this week's PEOPLE. “People often thought they were lovers, but she said they never were. "It showed she was OK hearing both sides of the story, and she never understood why others weren’t. "She was a single woman of color who made a name for herself by sticking to who she was, following her heart, and being her own person. Get push notifications with news, features and more. In 2007, Kitt celebrated her 80th birthday with a concert at Carnegie Hall titled “Eartha Kitt and Friends.” "My mother survived so much," Eartha Kitt's daughter Kitt Shapiro tells PEOPLE ahead of the release of her memoir Eartha & Kitt, "There were two different people that coexisted within my mother," Kitt Shapiro tells PEOPLE. “I recently discovered boxes of letters she received after she spoke in 1968 at the White House and aired her views of the Vietnam War,” said Shapiro. "One was Eartha Kitt. And so, at the age of five or six, Eartha was sent to live with another family where she cleaned house, picked cotton in the fields and was mocked and beaten. Select from premium Eartha Kitt Daughter of the highest quality. RELATED: How James Corden Convinced Paul McCartney to Do Carpool Karaoke: 'I Just Wrote Him an Email', "She was a fierce protector of me," says Shapiro. "She named me Kitt because she wanted to be sure that her name lived on," says Shapiro. Eartha Kitt with Husband and Daughter (Original Caption) Singer Eartha Kitt and her husband, real estate man William McDonald are all smiles as they debut their 4 day old baby girl as they left Cedars of Lebanon hospital. Why Famous: Ex-Husband of Eartha Kitt. Eartha Kitt was the legendary entertainer who seduced audiences worldwide and whose signature purr as Catwoman in the late '60s made the role all her own. We're all part of the human race. You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. “I was about nine years old when she played Catwoman on ‘Batman’ and that was a really big deal,” explained Shapiro. His death was something she did not really get over.”. Entertainment - Actress. eartha kitt sultry santa baby singer who played catwoman dies twin cities why don t you look more like your mother simplyeartha eartha kitt wikipedia qczooxolp8u6sm . HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!! Kitt Shapiro, Eartha’s only daughter, is the proud mother of two children: son Jason, 27, and daughter Rachel, 22, whom she shares with ex-husband Charles Lawrence Shapiro. Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Rachael Kirkconnell Feels Matt James 'Broke Her Trust' After She Stayed with Him in NYC: Source, Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon Is Pregnant, Expecting Second Baby with Husband Joshua Efird, June "Mama June" Shannon, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon with daughter Ella, Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon Opens Up About Her and Honey Boo Boo's 'Emotional' Reunion with Mama June, Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer on Their 25-Year Friendship That Only Got Stronger on, Dave Grohl to Share Nirvana Memories in Upcoming Memoir. “The letters were from both sides of the aisle, some attacking her and telling her what a horrible American and person she was. I had the opportunity to meet Kitt on a couple of occasions.