Eartha Kitt (lung cancer)
Ed Varner
----------
June 7, 2006
Sultry Sex Kitten Eartha Kitt diagnosed with cancer
The legendary Eartha Kitt, known as a sultry seductress of song,
television and movies, was diagnosed with colon cancer when she went in
to see the doctor about carpal tunnel syndrome. Her wrist was bothering
her, and when she went in to have it looked at, it was determined she
was anemic. The diagnosis of anemia led to the diagnosis of cancer.
At 79, Kitt has led a very vibrant life. She is probably most
recognized as Catwoman from the 60s television series Batman, where she
introduced viewers to her trademark feline purr. Kitt ran into trouble
in the late 60s, when attending a White House luncheon, she made
anti-war statements that reportedly brought first lady Lady Bird
Johnson to tears. Shunned in this country, she went to Europe to
perform. She has returned to the U.S. and appears on stage in New York.
Kitt has written four books of memoirs: Thursday's Child; Alone with
Me; I'm Still Here: Memoirs of a Sex Kitten; and Rejuvenate! It's Never
Too Late. A movie is said to be in the works that will chronicle her
life, with former Destiny's Child singer Beyonce playing the role of
Kitt. When the movie is released, she will gain a whole new generation
of fans. Eartha Kitt is a consummate entertainer and a woman of
admirable strength -- we wish her wellness.
http://www.thecancerblog.com/2006/06/07/sultry-sex-kitten-eartha-kitt-diagnosed-with-cancer/
Ed Varner
December 2, 2006
Still in the Limelight, on Her Own Terms
By FELICIA R. LEE
"If I had any regrets, it would mean I had not learned anything,"
Eartha Kitt
said, sitting in the empty New World Stages theater on 50th Street.
Between
performances as Madame Vallet in the Off Broadway musical "Mimi le
Duck," Ms.
Kitt, who will turn 80 in January, talked about a busy year in which
she was
featured in the musical, appeared at the Café Carlyle and released a
new album
of live songs. And now, on Thursday, she will be at the White House's
Christmas
tree lighting and will sing "Santa Baby" and "Have Yourself a Merry
Little
Christmas," all while battling colon cancer.
Snuggled in a plush blue seat, Ms. Kitt, wearing a flowing red print
robe and a
pixie haircut that showcased her huge eyes, gave a short preview of one
of the
songs she intends to sing. For those with long memories, the invitation
might
seem surprising. Her most famous visit to the White House was nearly 40
years
ago during another unpopular war (Vietnam); her unexpectedly pointed
comments
about American involvement reportedly made Lady Bird Johnson cry and
nearly
derailed her stage, film and singing career.
"When I was against Vietnam I was asked in the White House itself, by
Mrs.
Johnson, what the problem was among our young people," Ms. Kitt
explained,
saying that she responded based on what she was told by youths. She had
no
regrets about speaking honestly, she added, even after being forced to
work
abroad for a number of years afterward.
So does Ms. Kitt plan on commenting on current policy? It depends on
who is
asking what, she replied. She does not believe in setting up a soapbox:
"I think
now it's gotten somewhat out of hand, because I don't believe in
blurting out
whatever you feel," she said, referring to celebrities who have
recently
expressed antiwar sentiments. "Whether you believe in the war or not,
we still
have to support our boys."
If she's worried about anything concerning the visit, it's probably
stage
fright. Even after all these years, she admits.
"I get so nervous," she said. Ms. Kitt traces her anxiety back to her
upbringing
as a biracial child in South Carolina, rejected by both blacks and
whites: "I am
always afraid of being rejected. You never get away from it. I am very
glad the
public has made me who I am because I can feel I'm worthwhile when I
hear the
applause and I'm still wanted."
She added, "I am extremely lucky to be in show business and have earned
my own
way with the help of the public without having to feel that I want a
man to take
care of me for the rest of my life."
Does that mean she considers herself a feminist? She roared in
response. "No, I
don't believe in all that nonsense," said Ms. Kitt, who was married
once and has
been linked to famous men like Porfirio Rubirosa, Charles Revson and
Arthur Loew
Jr. "When they started that nonsense, nobody sent me roses anymore, let
alone
the diamond rings. I used to get furs and diamonds from men, and they'd
open
doors for me, lay out the red carpet. Now, I don't even get a petal."
Still, Ms. Kitt, whom Orson Welles once called "the most exciting woman
in the
world," says she is content to be without a man. Ms. Kitt said she
would
probably spend her birthday quietly with her only child, Kitt Shapiro,
and her
two grandchildren.
"Aging is a natural process, so enjoy it," she said, adding that she
has never
resorted to anything other than exercising, eating right and keeping a
positive
attitude to look good. "I don't believe in chopping up my face in order
to look
like something I might have looked like when I was 30."
The diagnosis of cancer in the lower part of her colon this spring came
as a
surprise. She found out as she prepared for surgery for carpal tunnel
syndrome
in both hands from constant needlepoint and boxing (which she said she
had taken
up for fun and exercise). When the doctors did blood work, they found
she was
dangerously anemic and bleeding internally.
"I advise everybody to get a colonoscopy," Ms. Kitt said. "I was
walking around
with no pain at all, and I felt weak from time to time." When the
doctor told
her that she had to go to the hospital right away, she recalls
responding, "
'No, I've got two concerts to do.' I only canceled one thing, and that
was a
private party."
Ms. Kitt said she was not afraid of the operation to remove the cancer.
"It's
like five bullet holes in my stomach," she said and laughed. She took
an oral
chemotherapy medication and described herself as being at the end of
her
treatment. "They said you can be on this pill, and it can give you
three more
years of your life, and it may not; we don't know. In three weeks time
I'll get
another examination and find out if I'm O.K."
In any case, retirement is not a word in her vocabulary, she said. "In
many ways
I'm still playing Catwoman," she said, referring to her famous stint on
the
1960s television series "Batman," "no matter how old I get."
Ms. Kitt and the cast of "Mimi le Duck," which closes tomorrow, are
recording
the songs from the musical. On June 25 she is planning to appear at
Carnegie
Hall, singing some old standards and new tunes.
"If there's one seat empty, I'm going to feel 'O.K., it's time for me
to go home
now,' " she said, gracing the empty theater with one of her familiar
and long
Catwoman laughs.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company