"The White Negress" (The White Queen of Soul)

She was a white woman from England who specialized in Soul, a genre of music in which African American artistes such as James Brown have made their mark. So much so that she was nicknamed, "The white queen of Soul". Cliff Richard affectionately called her, "The White Negress".

This British artiste was perhaps the first person ever to include a 'no apartheid' clause in the contract for her South African tour. Not only that; during her South Africa tour, she declined to perform in concerts, meant for a racially segregated audience.

But then, she was not afraid of controversies or straight talking. Way back in 1972, she admitted of her bisexuality and, during the early 1970s, began speaking openly about it in interviews given by her.

She also knew how to laugh at herself, even when faced with a serious illness. When she started receiving chemotherapy for her cancer, she felt nauseous; but then she said, "I think my body liked the chemicals. I've poisoned it over so many years in the past that it went, 'Yes! Poison!' ".

She was Dusty Springfield. (1939-1999)
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Sources:
http://www.divasthesite.com/Singing_Divas/Trivia/Trivia_Dusty_Springfield.htm
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dusty_springfield.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Springfield
http://imdb.com/name/nm0819778/bio