Lola Falana singing on stage, 1966.
Sands Hotel & Casino Public Relations Records.
UNLV University Libraries Special Collections & Archives.

For a time, the highest-paid female performer in the history of Las Vegas, she was dubbed the “Black Venus.” She starred in film and on the variety show circuit with such luminaries as Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, Flip Wilson and Sammy Davis, Jr. After being diagnosed with M.S., retreated from public performance and founded a ministry devoted to serving Sub-Saharan Africa.