Lena Horne, Iconic Actress & Singer, Dies at 92

Lena Horne, the legendary African American jazz singer and actress, whose signature song was Stormy Weather, died on Sunday in New York City at 92.

Horne, who was an outspoken champion of civil rights, was struck by one occasion when she performed for the military in World War II. She noticed that the German POWs were placed in the front row while black American soldiers had to sit in the back of the room. "I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept," she said. "I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked."

In the 1940s, Horne became one of the first black singers hired to perform with a major white band, and went on to become one of the only blacks to be put under contract with a major studio, MGM. Her notable films with the studio included Stormy Weather and Panama Hattie.

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