Jamie Lee Curtis Shares Parents' Historic 1953 Magazine Cover with Harry Belafonte: 'Artists Uniting'

Jamie Lee Curtis is reflecting on the cultural and social impact of Harry Belafonte.

Amid the news of the Caribbean-music legend's death on Tuesday at age 96, Jamie shared a 1953 Ebony magazine cover that featured Belafonte posing with her parents, the late Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.

It was the first time a Black person was pictured with two White people on a U.S. magazine cover, according to the Oscar winner, citing Black Facts.

"Artists uniting to use their art form to make transformational change in the world through music and movies and books, and poetry and paintings and photography and and and is one of the great benefits to living a public life," began Jamie, 64, in her caption.

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She went on to say that Belafonte "exemplified this and utilized every aspect of his immeasurable talent, applying it specifically to the plight of other human beings and their civil rights."

"I am happy that my parents both participated in a little of that work, and that they combined their talents for the inauguration of President Kennedy in 1961 and that they broke at least one barrier/restriction when they appeared together for the first time on a magazine cover," Curtis continued.

"Rest in great POWER Mr. Bellafonte [sic]," she concluded.

Reps for Belafonte confirmed in a press release that the musician died Tuesday morning "of congestive heart failure at his New York home at the age of 96, his wife Pamela [Frank] by his side."

RELATED VIDEO: Harry Belafonte, Musician and Activist Who Brought Calypso Music to the World, Dead at 96

In addition to his music successes, Belafonte also had an impactful screen career, winning an Emmy in 1960 for outstanding performance in a variety or musical program for The Revlon Revue: Tonight With Belafonte. The honor made him the first Black person to win an Emmy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was around that time that Belafonte's popularity soared, with Look magazine declaring him "one of the most acclaimed entertainers in America today, [and] the first Negro matinée idol in our entertainment history," according to The New Yorker.

Belafonte was also known for his activism, and had advocated over the years for civil-rights and other political and humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and USA for Africa. In 1968, he became the first Black person to host a late-night TV show when he assumed hosting duties on The Tonight Show amid national civil-rights protests, welcoming guests like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

Last year, the "Jump in the Line" performer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category. He was the oldest living person to join the organization.

In one of his final acts of charity, Belafonte celebrated his 94th birthday in March 2021 with a star-studded virtual party that raised money for The Gathering for Justice, a social-justice organization he founded in 2005.