Lena Horne

Lena Horne has died. She was 92. Horne, an actress, a singer, and civil rights activist, tells, through the life she lived, a narrative of the 20th century, of racism and segregation, of popular culture, and of a determination and resilience, and finally, of living the truth. Somehow then, it is not surprising that the person she always said was her main influence was composer and pianist Billy Strayhorn, the openly gay longtime associate and friend of Duke Ellington. “I wasn’t born a singer,” said Horne, “I had to learn a lot. Billy rehearsed me. He stretched me vocally, taught me the basics of music, because I didn’t know anything.” She would add that Strayhorn was “the only man I ever loved. He was just everything that I wanted in a man except he wasn’t interested in me sexually.” At age 80 Horne said “my identity is very clear to me now. I am a black woman. I’m free. I no longer have to be a ‘credit.’ I don’t have to be a symbol to anybody; I don’t have to be a first to anybody. I don’t have to be an imitation of white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’ m like nobody else.”