Edna Mae Robinson

Edna Mae Robinson (September 4, 1915 – May 2, 2002) was an American dancer, actress, and activist. She was a dancer at the Cotton Club and toured Europe with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. She later became a public figure when she married the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, appearing on the first cover of Jet magazine in 1951.

Life and career She was born Edna Mae Holly to a prominent family in Miami, Florida on September 4, 1915. Holly was known for dancing atop an enormous drum at the Cotton Club. They were a flashy couple and spent extravagantly from his boxing winnings and other ventures. In the 1950s they owned businesses including Edna Mae's Lingerie Shop and Sugar Ray's Cafe. She accompanied the cast on a USO tour of Japan and Europe. In 1956, she was a guest artist at Detroit producer Ziggy Johnson's annual dance school graduation party at the Latin Quarter.

After their divorce in 1962, Robinson worked as a medical assistant and then obtained a license in cosmetology. the NAACP, and she supported several charities.

After Sugar Ray's' death in 1989, Robinson reflected on their turbulent marriage by putting her painful memories into a manuscript. She was planning to release a memoir.

In 1969, Sugar Ray tried to declare their marriage void on the grounds that her divorce from a previous husband was fraudulent; his case was dismissed. Their separation agreement provided her with $200 a week, fringe benefits and a percentage of any annual income over $60,000. In 1989, Robinson stated her divorce settlement amounted to a little more than $23,000 due to Sugar Ray's bad investments and issues with the IRS.