How old was Lena Horne when she died? All about the first Black actress to have broadway theatre named after her

The late actress Lena Horne is now the first black actress to have a Broadway theater named after her. The theater, now called the Lena Horne Theater, is located at West 47th Street, and was built in 1926. It is currently hosting the popular British musical Six.

A few weeks ago, another Broadway theater was named after The Lion King star James Earl Jones.

Horne's granddaughter Jenny Lumet was a part of the event, held on November 2, 2022. She said that she didn't realize how emotional the moment was until she began speaking about it. Lumet added that her grandmother would've "pretended not to be as thrilled as she was," but she would have been "completely, completely thrilled."

The theater was initially known as the Mansfield Theater, but in 1960, it was renamed with respect to New York Times critic Justin Brooks Atkinson. Lena’s name was chosen to fulfill a promise made by Broadway’s three landlords when black artists requested their recognition following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

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Lena Horne was a well-known dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist

Lena Horne was well-known for her appearance in MGM projects (Image via Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Lena Horne has appeared in films, television, and theater for around 70 years. At 16, she joined the Cotton Club chorus and became a nightclub performer before joining Hollywood.

Horne passed away on May 9, 2010, from congestive heart failure, and she was 92 years old at the time of death.

Lena first appeared on screen as a dancer in the 1935 musical short, Cab Calloway’s Jitterbug Party. She has appeared in two low-budget movies – The Duke and Boogie Woogie Dream. Horne was later signed by MGM and appeared on an episode of the famous radio series, Suspense, in November 1944.

Her first project with MGM was the 1942 film Panama Hattie, and she continued to appear in other musicals for MGM. However, she never became a popular film star like others.

She attempted to grab the role of Julie LaVerne in MGM’s Show Boat but lost it to Ava Gardner. Lena said that she lost the role because of the Production Codes ban on interracial relationships in films, but MGM claimed that she was never considered for the role.

Lena Horne started to lose interest in Hollywood and appeared in two MGM projects – Duchess of Idaho and Meet Me in Las Vegas. She was later blacklisted in 1950s for her associations with communist-backed groups.

Horne then returned in the 1969 Western film, Death of a Gunfighter, followed by The Wiz in 1978. She then became one of the premier nightclub performers and was the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Lena appeared in various TV variety shows from 1950s to 1960s which included Kraft Music Hall, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, and more.

Lena has also appeared in shows like Harry & Lena, Tony and Lena, The Flip Wilson Show, The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Sanford and Son, The Cosby Show, and A Different World, among others.

She became popular for her show Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music and it toured in various locations in the U.S. and Canada. She later gained recognition for her albums – The Men in My Life and Being Myself.

She was involved with the Civil Rights Movement and spoke and performed on behalf of the NAACP, S.N.C.C., and the National Council of Negro Women. She worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass the anti-lynching laws and was a registered Democrat.