Harry Belafonte Sleeps Through Live TV Interview as Anchors Crack Up

(YouTube)

Maybe call it one of the privileges that comes with age?

Songwriter, singer and actor Harry Belafonte peacefully snoozed through a live interview with KBAK in Bakersfield, Calif last Friday.

"Hey, good morning Harry!" chirped anchor Layla Santiago.

With no response from the 84-year-old, Santiago attempted to rouse him.

"Harry, wake up. Harry? Wake up, wake up! This is your wake-up call! OK, I'll tell you what, he's meditating. He's taking a little nap."

Belafonte never did wake up to do the interview with KBAK. He was in a remote studio, waiting to promote his new memoir, "My Song," when he appeared to doze off. His rep, however, insists the singer was not sleeping, rather he was meditating.

"There was a technical glitch in the feed to a local station in Bakersfield, CA," said Ken Sunshine in a statement released to TMZ. "His earpiece wasn’t working, so he decided to take the time to meditate before the rest of his Day-O.”

"Maybe the world would be a better place if more people took a moment to meditate," he added.

The rest of the morning KBAK’s morning crew could barely contain their laughter.

“I’ve been doing this for quite some time now,” said one anchor. "I’ve never seen that.”

Another anchor wondered aloud, “Was he in a R.E.M. sleep?”