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| By Harmeet Kaur, CNN - CNN - Tuesday, April 23, 2019 |
It's been more than 30 years since Kate Smith died, but the singer is at the center of a recent controversy about racist lyrics.
Last week, the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers announced they would stop playing her famous rendition of "God Bless America" during games and would cover up her statue outside the team's arena. The organization said it had discovered some of her songs contained racist lyrics and sentiments that were "incompatible" with their values.
The MLB's New York Yankees said they pulled Smith's iconic version of "God Bless America" on April 1. The Yankees said the song had been a fixture at their games since 9/11. Smith's rendition has been replaced with other versions.