Herb Jeffries, singing star of Hollywood's black cowboy films, dies at 100

Herb Jeffries, an actor and singer most famous for his work with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and his role as a singing cowboy in "The Bronze Buckaroo," has died. He was 100.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Jeffries died Sunday of heart failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center. His death was confirmed by Raymond Strait, who worked with Jeffries on his not-yet-published autobiography titled "Color of Love."

RELATED: Herb Jeffries: Ellington singer and pioneering black cowboy actor

Jeffries was a pioneering singer and actor who starred in several all-black western films, including "The Bronze Buckaroo," "Harlem Rides the Range," and others. He was viewed as the African-American equivalent of famous singing cowboys of the time like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. 

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He was known for his deep baritone voice which graced the stage of the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the early 1940s, culminating with a recording of his hit, "Flamingo," which sold 14 million copies. 

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In 1941, he appeared in Ellington's all-black musical revue "Jump for Joy" alongside Dorothy Dandridge in Los Angeles.

His popular solo hits "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" and "Basin Street Blues" were released after he'd served in World War II.

Jeffries appeared in nine films and on television shows like "Hawaii Five-O" and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 2004.

Born Umberto Alexander Valentino on Sept. 24, 1913 in Detroit, Michigan, Jeffries was born to an Irish-American mother and an African-American father, whom Jeffries never knew (his father's exact heritage has been the topic of some debate).

Jeffries continued to record and perform music well into his late '90s. 

Strait said Jeffries recently had several surgeries that "just wore him out." He added that Jeffries "believed in one world and one people and was one of the most generous people I've ever met. He was always funding something or doing something for kids."

He is survived by his wife, Savannah, and his daughter, Romi West; two sons, Robert and Michael; two daughters, Ferne Aycock and Patricia Jeffries; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.