Singer, Actress Eartha Kitt Dead of Colon Cancer at Age 81

Andrew Freedman says Kitt died Thursday of colon cancer and was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.

Eartha Kitt was born Eartha Mae Keith on January 17th, 1927. One of her signature roles, though not perhaps one she aspired to, was on In the 1960s television campy series Batman, where she played Catwoman after Julie Newmar left the role.

While not one of my favorite actresses to play Catwoman, it is easy to see how her previously mentioned "sex kitten" purr made her Purrfect for the role. Eartha Kitt is pictured as Catwoman in one of the photos attached to this story.

Kitt's career took a major hit, however, in 1968, for anti-war statements she made at a White House luncheon. It wasn't until the 80s that, at least in the U.S., her career was revitalized.

Of late, Eartha Kitt has done voiceover work as well, winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Yzma in the Disney series "The Emperor's New School," and as Vexus in the series "My Life as a Teenage Robot."

Kitt died in Connecticut with her daughter by her side.