Copyright 2008 Keystone / Getty Images
Sultry singer, actress and dancer Eartha Kitt has passed away. She was 81.
The performer and self-proclaimed "sex kitten" died Thursday of colon cancer, family friend Andrew Freedman tells the Associated Press.
Kitt was recently treated for her condition at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, says the AP.
Known for her catlike purr and her sensual recording of the Christmas song "Santa Baby," Kitt won two Emmys and was nominated for two Tony awards and a Grammy.
![](javascript:swap_article_image("/media/photo/2008/12/70707/400_ekitt_keystone_081225_2667036.jpg","Copyright 2008 Keystone / Getty Images"))
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