Harry Belafonte was meditating, not sleeping, during a recent televised appearance with a California news station, his spokesperson says, after a video of the incident went viral over the weekend.The 84-year-old "Day-O" singer and civil rights activist appeared unresponsive, with his eyes closed, after a news anchor from Bakersfield, California television station KBAK began to speak to him via satellite.
"After weeks of literally hundreds of interviews promoting his HBO documentary, memoir and CD, Mr. Belafonte had an early morning satellite TV tour this past Friday," his spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday, October 18. "True to form, there was a technical glitch in the feed to a local station in Bakersfield, CA. His earpiece wasn't working, so he decided to take the time to meditate before the rest of his Day-O."
"Mr. Belafonte is 84 years young, but sharper and more awake than most who have been interviewing him," the spokesperson added. "Maybe the world would be a better place if more people took a moment to meditate."
KBAK Television said it is "efforting another interview, a real interview, with Belafonte."
Belafonte's 1956 song "Day-O," also called "The Banana Boat Song," was famously featured in the 1988 comedy film "Beetlejuice." A compilation of the singer's hits and his memoir, "Your Song," were released earlier this month. A documentary about Belafonte, called "Sing Your Song," aired on the cable channel HBO on Monday.
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