Legendary singer, dancer and actress Eartha Kitt passed away from colon cancer on Christmas Day at the age of 81. Her career began with dance icon Katherine Dunham and resulted in a career that spanned more than six decades and included dance, film, television and music.

She was born in South Carolina, but left as a young girl to live in New York City with an aunt. It was in New York that Kitt auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe on a dare and landed a spot as a featured dancer and vocalist.

Kitt would soon become famous for her raspy voice and her role as Catwoman on the “Batman” television series as well as for being the original vocalist on the Christmas Classic “Santa Baby.”

During her career, Kitt was nominated for three Tony awards, two Grammy awards, won two Emmy awards and was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1960.

She had just taped a PBS special six weeks ago in Chicago, which will air in February. Her single “Santa Baby”, originally recorded in 1954, was certified gold last week.

Information from CNN.com, and people.com contributed to this report.