When I came out from under the holiday blanket I was under over the last few days, I realized that the loss of another big star has taken place. For me anyway, the year always seems to end with the passing of another huge cultural contributor. The year usually ends with a great sense of anticipation for what is about to come and a sense of reflection on what will cease to be. As with anything in life, I’ve learned nothing is all bad or all good. Everything has a balance of these traits it’s all about how we think of them.

I briefly checked the news headlines and email to discover the passing of Eartha Kitt. Born in January of 1927, Eartha Mae Keith was born in the cotton fields of South Carolina to a mother of African American and Cherokee decent and a father of German-Dutch descent. A cinema and stage icon, Kitt tantalized us with her unusual looks and her sultry visual persona.

While Kitt was a little before my generation, she had that name recognition and that visual appeal that caused her talent and contributions to be accepted without question. Staking her seat in film, stage and behind the mic since 1948, it makes me think about how the multi-formatted performer is not new and multicultural icons are not so unusual–maybe not unusual but definitely deserving of attention for its own sake. Certainly, Kitt’s professional persona was geared toward African Americans, because of the era where it only took a drop to place you in that category. But with audiences around the world paying tribute to her career and her passing, it makes me appreciate all the more what can come from a series of challenges.

Rest in peace, Ms. Kitt. Thank you for giving us a sense of what professional class and beauty can be both on stage and off.

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