Actor/singer/philanthropist/socialite Kitty Carlisle Hart died today at the age of 96.

Kitty Carlisle had a big gay following, largely due to her glamour and wit. I remember passing her on the street in Georgetown about ten years ago and she was dressed to the nines, not a thing out of place, looking lovely. Who of us of a certain age didn't adore her on 'To Tell the Truth'?

She also was a hero in the arts world, fighting for funding and freedom of expression at the NEA when conservatives started to clamp down on the Endowment for its support of "controversial" artistic work like that of Robert Mapplethorpe.

Mrs. Hart wasn't without her paradoxes. She was married to gay/bisexual theater superstar Moss Hart and has been guarding his private papers for nearly 50 years since his death, refusing to release them to scholars who have been clamoring to research his gay side (which he himself guarded, too) to gain a deeper understanding of his work and of gay life during his career. It will be interesting to see if Hart's son will allow his father's papers to be studied.

Kitty Carlisle Hart was a grande dame. I will miss her.

A QueerSighted reader sent in the photo above which he took of Mrs. Hart with the fabulous Michael Feinstein whose New York nightclub, Feinstein's, hosted Kitty Carlisle Hart: "Here's To Life!' just last year.


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Official Site: KittyCarlisle.com