Self-proclaimed "sex kitten" Eartha Kitt, a singer, dancer and actress, has died. She was 81.

Kitt's spokesman Andrew Freedman announced the passing away of the South Carolina native, who started as a cabaret dancer and stage actress/singer and became known for her 1953 hit "Santa Baby." She was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, according to Freedman.

Kitt was also well-known for her role as Catwoman in the 1967-68 "Batman" TV series which featured her trademark catlike purr.

Kitt was also a movie star, playing the lead female role opposite Nat King Cole in "St. Louis Blues" in 1958. She also appeared in "Boomerang" and "Harriet the Spy" in the 1990s.

Born Eartha Mae Kitt, she was an Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards nominee for acting, made scores of movies from 1948 to 2007, appeared on many TV shows and was a character's voice for the television animation series "The Emperor's New School" that won her an Emmy Award this year.