Santa Baby singer ‘died screaming’ on Christmas Day never knowing father’s identity
Eartha Kitt is best remembered for her recording of hit Christmas track Santa Baby, with the American singer having sadly passed away in 2008. The star - also known for her recording of hit track C'est si bon - was famed for her distinctive singing style, having kicked off her career on Broadway before branching out in TV and other industries.
Eartha - born Eartha Mae Keith - tragically passed away in December 2008 following a two-year battle with colon cancer. She left behind daughter Kitt Shapiro, 63. Eartha welcomed her daughter, known as Shapiro, in November 1961 with former husband John W. McDonald. She and John wed in 1960 before divorcing in 1964.
Shapiro shared an extremely close bond with her famous mother and was by her side when she passed away. She worked for Eartha for twenty five years, helping produce her albums, tours and projects in her role as President of Eartha Kitt Productions, Inc.
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The 63 year old has spoken out about her mother's tragic passing in the past, saying: "Our lives were very enmeshed. It was a very difficult loss." She also told Simply Eartha that she counts being with Eartha at the time of her death as a "blessing in so many ways".
Shapiro revealed that Eartha lost her speech during the final days of her life, but did not go quietly. She said her mother "left this planet kicking and screaming and I mean screaming at the top of her lungs", and recalled screaming back at her, "You can go! You can go!" Shapiro said that her mother’s "survival instinct was not letting her give up even though there was no way for her to stay alive and that was an amazing thing."
Sadly, Eartha passed away without ever finding out the identity of her biological father. She was denied the truth by officials in the American Deep South. The singer did not find out her exact date of birth until she was 71 years old.
Eartha's life came under the spotlight five years after she passed, as British journalist John Williams published a biography titled America's Mistress: Eartha Kitt, Her Life and Times. Shapiro chose not to cooperate with the 2013 book, in which John claimed that Eartha's father was a white man, a local doctor named Daniel Sturkie. Shapiro has questioned the accuracy of John's claim.
According to Eartha's daughter, the singer launched a legal fight to gain access the her birth certificate but fell victim to a cover-up by officials. She finally got her hands on the certificate in 1998 only to find her father's name had been blacked out.
Shapiro said in an interview with the Observer: "My mother was 71 at the time and it was approaching the 21st century, and yet they were still protecting the name of the father even though he was clearly dead.
"They were protecting the white man because they would not have gone to that trouble to protect a black man. The courts still held it as legal to withhold the documentation. We were amazed. My mother assumed it was their dirty little secret."
