S.C. Senate Makes Jan. 17 Eartha Kitt Day

Senators have given key approval to make every January 17th in South Carolina "Eartha Kitt Day" in honor of the late actress.

The Senate approved the bill 35-5 on Tuesday. After one more routine vote, it heads to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk.

Kitt was born on Jan. 17, 1927, on a farm near North in Orangeburg County.

She spent six decades in entertainment, getting her big break dancing with the Katherine Dunham troupe. She sang on stage, movies and television and called herself a "sex kitten," punctuated with a cat-like purr.

Kitt won two Emmys and also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys. She died in 2008.

Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg has been working for years to honor Kitt.