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Etta Moten Barnett, a singer and actress who played romantic, sexy figures in movies at a time when most other black actresses were relegated to roles as nannies or maids, has died. She was 102.Barnett, who also was a Broadway star, died of pancreatic cancer at Chicago's Mercy Hospital on Friday, according to a news release from her family.
In 1933's "Flying Down to Rio," Barnett was cast as a Brazilian entertainer who sang "The Carioca" while Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced. She received her first on-screen credit for the role, and the song was nominated for an Academy Award as best song.
Her voice caught the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who invited her to...