My Encounter With Lena Horne
I met Lena Horne, who has died at the age of 92, only once. It was a benefit in New York, I don’t remember the cause. I wanted to tell Miss Horne how spectacular she was in her 1981 Broadway show, “The Lady and Her Music.” But by the time I’d screwed up the courage to walk up to her, all I could say was, “You are beautiful.” She fixed a long stare on me, which made me think I’d somehow insulted her. Then she flashed that piano-key smile, and said, “Honey, these bones don’t feel beautiful; these bones feel old!” She was beautiful. Listen to her sing here.
