Vaudeville performer and singer who was a child star by age 4 and a touring vaudeville performer by age 7. Her career was stopped short by illness. But in her few years as a headliner in vaudeville and revue Florence Mills won over mainstream critics with her impish manner, clever dancing and her clear high soprano voice. She starred in some of the best remembered "black and tan" revues of the 1920's: Shuffle Along, Dixie to Broadway and Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1926. Her rendition of "I'm Just a Little Blackbird looking for a Blackbird" is forever associated with her. Through it all Mills remained a shy, unassuming person who was loved by all for her gentle personality and unfailing generosity. Her death in November of 1927 from a neglected appendix condition caused great grief in Harlem. Her funeral was the largest funeral ever seen there, with over 5,000 mourners attending her funeral and more than 150,000 people crowding Harlem's streets in tribute.
Vaudeville performer and singer who was a child star by age 4 and a touring vaudeville performer by age 7. Her career was stopped short by illness. But in her few years as a headliner in vaudeville and revue Florence Mills won over mainstream critics with her impish manner, clever dancing and her clear high soprano voice. She starred in some of the best remembered "black and tan" revues of the 1920's: Shuffle Along, Dixie to Broadway and Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1926. Her rendition of "I'm Just a Little Blackbird looking for a Blackbird" is forever associated with her. Through it all Mills remained a shy, unassuming person who was loved by all for her gentle personality and unfailing generosity. Her death in November of 1927 from a neglected appendix condition caused great grief in Harlem. Her funeral was the largest funeral ever seen there, with over 5,000 mourners attending her funeral and more than 150,000 people crowding Harlem's streets in tribute.
Bio by: Curtis Jackson
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"May her soul rest in peace"
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