Harry Belafonte Sleeping During TV Interview, Reps Say He Was Meditating

84-year-old singer Harry Belafonte was supposed to be doing a satellite interview early this morning with Eyewitness News (KBAK in Bakersfield, CA.) and fell asleep in front of the camera. The news reporter kept trying to wake him up to grab his attention but Harry did not respond.

“Harry Belafonte joining us live this morning from New York,” said news anchor Layla Santiago before realizing Belafonte was asleep. “Hey, good morning Harry? Harry Wake up… Harry? Wake up – Wake Up! This is your wake-up call Harry!”

Layla tried her best to wake up the sleeping singer. She tried so hard people in the news room began laughing.

After many attempts Layla said: “OK, I’ll tell you what, he’s meditating. He’s taking a little nap. He’s OK.”

A few hours later publicist Kristin Clifford said the audio dropped, making it impossible for Harry to hear the sound. Kristin claimed Harry was resting his eyes until the newscaster was ready for the interview.

Kristin blamed the network for the mishap, saying “their technical difficulty was used to embarrass Mr. Belafonte. This was 100% their error.”

Ken Sunshine, a spokesperson for Belafonte, released a statement to the press clarifying the issue; “After weeks of literally hundreds of interviews promoting his HBO documentary, memoir and CD, Mr. Belafonte had an early morning satellite TV tour this past Friday. True to form, there was a technical glitch in the feed to a local station in Bakersfield, CA. His earpiece wasn’t working, so he decided to take the time to meditate before the rest of his Day-O,” says Ken Sunshine, spokesperson for Harry Belafonte. “Mr. Belafonte is 84 years young, but sharper and more awake than most who have been interviewing him. Maybe the world would be a better place if more people took a moment to meditate.”