Lena Horne Dead at 92

Though she was in her mid-fifties at the time, the first time I ever laid eyes on Lena Horne had enough of an impact that I still remember it today. And as much as I would like to say that the introduction occurred in some classy venue like a concert hall or one of those MGM movie musicals where she might not have starred but still stopped the show with a specialty number, it wasn’t. Truth be told, it was a 1973 episode of “Sanford and Son” where Fred told a whole bunch of lies to get his idol and dream girl, “The Horne,” over to the house.

There were a lot of beautiful women on television at the time so there had to be something more to her than just the physical. Obviously it was that special “thing” that separates the attractive from the star. In Lena Horne’s case that thing came from the effortless way in which she carried herself. Dignity, class, whatever you want to call it, “The Horne” had it to spare, even in a 1970’s sitcom. Without even trying she was also damn sexy. Maybe sultry’s a better word, or seductive. Let’s just leave it at “wow.”

Ms. Horne also had talent to spare and while the legacy of recordings and film appearances she left behind is plenty rich, you have to wonder what might have been had skin color not been a hindrance to her film career. And we don’t have to wonder all that much. Not to take anything away from Ava Gardner’s memorably heartbreaking performance as the doomed Julie LaVerne in 1951’s “Show Boat,” but the fact that Gardner looks nothing like a mulatto woman hangs over the entire picture. It’s just too much disbelief to suspend. Horne was considered for the role but in the end lost it based solely on race. In 1951, the idea of casting a for real black woman as the love interest to a white man was a bridge too far.

However, in 1946 MGM was comfortable casting Horne as LaVerne in the Jerome Kern biopic “Till the Clouds Roll By.” But it was only for a one-off specialty number. Horne sang “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and essentially won the audition for the big screen musical five years later. So what might have been — what was lost — is glaringly obvious.

Still, there will always be this…

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The New York Times has an in-depth obituary here, and Life Magazine has a wonderful array of photos. She was ageless, but unfortunately mortal.

May she rest in peace.