Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was one of the greatest and most beautiful entertainers of our time.

Lena Horne was a great American singer and actress. Born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, she was began her career as a vocal jazzist and performer. Horne joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club when she was just sixteen years old.  Two of her most notable films were Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather, the latter's theme became Horne's signature song.

In large part because of her progressive views she was blacklisted and for a time was unable to find work in Hollywood. During World War II, she entertained troops for the USO all the while refusing to perform for segreated audiences. She became a spokesperson for the NAACP as well as the National Council for Negro Women. She worked with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws. She participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington. She had a huge legacy of work and involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.  She was inducted as a member of the prominent organization, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

In 1980, Lena Horne began performing in a series of benefit concerts sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. The very next year, she received a Tony Award for her record-breaking one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. The show remains the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history.

Lena Horne was awarded eight Grammy Awards during her illustrious career. In 1980, Howard University awarded her an honorary doctorate degree.

Lena Horne died on May 9, 2010 at the age of 92.

Today, we at NOAW, celebrate the life and legacy of one of the most phenomenal women to grace this Earth. Today we sadly say farewell to the great, the ravishing, the irreplaceable Lena Horne.