A family friend says Eartha Kitt, the singer, dancer and actress has died. She was 81.

Once described as ‘the most exciting woman in the world’ by Orson Wells, Kitt was one of America’s most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and getting a third nomination. She was also nominated for two Tony Awards and a Grammy.

A talented singer with a distinctive voice, her hits included "Let's Do It", "C'est si bon", "Just an Old Fashioned Girl" and her most famous hit, "Santa Baby”.

Kitt was given her first starring role as Helen of Troy in Wells's staging of Dr Faustus. In 1958 she made her feature film debut opposite Sidney Poitier in The Mark of the Hawk. In the 1960's she played Catwoman in the television series Batman.

In 1968, Kitt suffered a serious professional setback after making anti-Vietnam war statements during a White House luncheon.

She made a triumphant return to New York in the Broadway spectacle Timbuktu! in 1978. She made a return to the music charts in 1984 with disco hit, "Where Is My Man", the first Gold record of her career.

Kitt wrote three autobiographies – Thursday’s Child (1956), Alone with Me (1976), and I’m Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten (1989).

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