NEW YORK - Congressman Charles B. Rangel joined hundreds of Americans around the nation Monday in mourning the death of pioneering actress, singer, dancer and civil rights activist Lena Horne.

The Brooklyn-born Horne passed away Sunday at New York Presbyterian Hospital at the age of 92.

“She remains a standard of class and excellence in all of our hearts,” said Rangel. “Beauty, talent, patriotism - you name it, Lena Horne had it all. This is a huge loss not just for the entertainment industry, but for the entire nation just weeks after the death of civil rights leaders like Benjamin Hooks, Dorothy Height and Evelyn Cunningham.”

Horne (l.) with Congressman Rangel (c) and his wife Alma in 1985.

Horne began singing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club at the tender age of 16, leading to roles on Broadway and eventually Hollywood. Hugely popular in the 40’s and 50’s, she was the first Black performer signed to a multi-year contract with a major film studio, with roles in movies such as, “The Duke is Tops” and “Cabin in the Sky.”

Despite that success, she was often edited out of films so that they could be distributed without controversy, especially in the South. Nonetheless, she never shied away from speaking out against racial and social injustice and even refused to sing in venues that restricted access to African Americans. “I wouldn’t trade my life for anything,” she was once quoted as saying, “because being Black made me understand.”

“Though the ignorance of the era may have cost her roles and deals that would normally go to gifted geniuses, she never shied away from speaking out against racial and social injustice,” said Rangel. “She wasn’t just an entertainment legend way before her time, she was also a committed fighter for civil rights.”

In 1981, Horner returned to Broadway with a splash, in her one-woman show, “Lena Horne: The lady and her Music”, which chronicled her five-decade career. She won a Tony Award for her performance, which included a gut wrenching rendition of “Stormy Weather”, her trademark song.

“The determination Horne exhibited, as she struggled through prejudices and racism during her time, will forever inspire future generations of performers,” concluded Rangel concluded. “She was a catalyst for change who opened doors in the industry for all people of color and e