H/T Bookering Singer, Famous for her sultry voice and cat-like growl, Ms. Kitt had performed in nightclubs and on stage and screen for decades. She was born into a poor family in rural South Carolina around 1928. She was the child of a rape; her mother was only 14 years old. She said that she was told her father was a white landowner. When she was eight, her mother married a man who did not want Eartha around. Eartha ended up in New York with an aunt, and she often said the abandonment marked her forever.

When she was 16, Ms. Kitt won a place in a well-known African-American dance company led by Katherine Dunham. As the troupe toured Europe, Ms. Kitt’s gift as a singer was discovered. Her droll, sexy nightclub act became a sensation in Paris. She had an ear for languages, and could sing in eight or nine.

When Ms. Kitt was cast in the Broadway revue, “New Faces of 1952,” she was suddenly famous in USA. Her records went to the top of the charts, and Ms. Kitt became one of the highest-paid entertainers. She appeared on Broadway, made movies and starred as the original “Catwoman” in the Batman TV series. As a recording artist, Ms. Kitt may be best known for “Santa Baby.”

In 1968, just as Eartha Kitt’s career was at its peak, it crashed — because of a remark at a White House luncheon. The president’s wife, Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, had invited Eartha Kitt with a group of other women to discuss youth crime. When Mrs. Johnson asked her guests for their thoughts, Ms. Kitt spoke against the war in Vietnam. Mrs. Johnson reacted with shock, blinking back tears, and the incident made headlines. Years later, it was disclosed that President Johnson had ordered investigations of Ms. Kitt by the FBI and the CIA. The entertainment industry responded to the inquiries by informally blacklisting her. Not until the late 1980s did her American career begin to revive — with parts in several Hollywood movies, and in 1996, a Grammy nomination for her first recording in years.