Karla Arnetta Burns (1954 - 2021)

Born 24 Dec 1954 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas, United States

Ancestors

Died 4 Jun 2021 at age 66 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas, United States

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Biography

Karla Burns is Notable.

Karla Arnetta Burns was born on 24 December 1954 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas. She was the daughter of Ira Willie Lee Burns (1918-1962) and Catherine Leonell Scott (1920-2007).^[1]

Karla's father was a Wichita club entertainer, and the family often sang together at home.^[1] He passed away when Karla was only seven years old.

Karla graduated from Wichita West High School where she performed in school musicals and plays.^[1] She graduated from Wichita State University in 1981. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from WSU in 2016.

Karla was an American operatic mezzo-soprano and actress who performed internationally and on Broadway.^[2] She was the first black person to win the Laurence Olivier Award, Britain's most prestigious award for theatre. She was well-known for her one woman show, Hi-Hat Hattie, in which she portrayed another famous Wichita actress, Hattie McDaniel, the first black entertainer to win an Academy Award.

Karla left New York and returned to Wichita.^[3]

Karla passed away at age 66 on 4 June 2021 at a hospital in Wichita. She was buried at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Cow Town's Karla Burns Is Really Belting It Out," The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), 24 June 1973, page 1F, column 4.
2. ↑ "Karla Burns Still Can't Believe She's a Broadway Star," The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), 22 May 1983, page 1C, column 1.
3. ↑ "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KJN1-LNY : 9 November 2019), A Burns, 2006-2009.
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/228288511/karla-arnetta-burns : accessed 17 June 2021), memorial page for Karla Arnetta Burns (24 Dec 1954–4 Jun 2021), Find A Grave: Memorial #228288511, citing White Chapel Memorial Gardens, Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas, USA ; Maintained by The Old Genealogist (contributor 46920129) .

See also:

• Karla Burns