Actress and "Santa Baby" singer Eartha Kitt has died. Kitt, 81, died Thursday in New York City, her publicist confirmed to CNN, after being treated there for colon cancer. Her daughter Kitt Shapiro was by her side. Known primarily for singing in her distinctively raspy voice and purring like a cat as Catwoman on the television series Batman, Kitt was a star of stage, film, television and music, who was nominated for three Tony awards, two Grammy awards and two Emmy awards, according to her official Web site. A performer to the very end, CNN reports that Kitt taped a PBS special six weeks ago in Chicago, which is set to air in February. Kitt left the cotton fields of South Carolina as a young girl to live with an aunt in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, according to a biography on her site. Her career began after she auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe on a dare and landed a spot as a featured dancer and vocalist. Kitt was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1960. She performed at the White House on more than one occasion and is the author of three autobiographies. Most recently, CNN reports, her sassy Christmas song, "Santa Baby," was certified gold last week. According to her bio, Kitt lived in Connecticut near her daughter and four grandchildren.

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