Las Vegas Weekly

May 11, 2010 · 3:02 PM

Vegas DeLuxe remembers the legendary Lena Horne

By Robin Leach

Legendary jazz singer and actress Lena Horne performs at the Sands in 1955. Horne died Sunday at age 92.

Photo: Las Vegas News Bureau

Legendary jazz singer and actress Lena Horne, who performed here on The Strip at the Sands in June 1955, died late Sunday night in New York. Lena was the nicest of ladies -- a gentle, always polite and gracious soul.

I ran into her often back in my New York days at events and had the privilege of interviewing her at her home for my old show Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Our friends at Las Vegas News Bureau dug into their archives and found this photograph of Lena’s visit here more than 50 years ago.

In her early days of Hollywood and Broadway, Lena always fought against racial divides, fighting for the right to be among the white people she entertained but was not allowed to socialize and befriend. She was a gentle but outspoken critic of that long-ago separation and did much to change those injustices.

When Halle Berry accepted her Academy Award in 2002 for Monster’s Ball, the actress dedicated it to Lena and others who had spoken out against the divided system. Lena will now be enthralling the angels with her angelic voice on the Great Stage up there. She was a very special gem -- one of a kind!

Our condolences to her family and friends. She was 92 years young.

Editor’s note: Mr. Robin Leach’s story should have been posted yesterday but was unintentionally lost in the Monday shuffle. My apologies to Vegas DeLuxe readers and Mr. Leach. --Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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