Singer Connie Francis, a star of the 1950s and ‘60s known for her hits “Pretty Little Baby” and “Stupid Cupid,” has died, her publicist announced.
She passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87. No cause was disclosed.
“It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” Ron Roberts, the president of Concetta Records, a music label owned by Francis and her royalties/copyright manager, wrote on Facebook.
“I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news,” he continued. “More details will follow later.”
Francis had told her fans in March that she was in a wheelchair “to avoid undue pressure on a troublesome, painful hip” and was in therapy.
In a July 2 Facebook post, she said she was in the hospital undergoing tests “to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain” she had been experiencing. That same day, Francis said she had been in the intensive care unit and was transferred to a private room. Her last update was on July 4, when she wished her fans a happy Fourth of July, adding, “Today I am feeling much better after a good night.”
The American pop singer was one of the top-charting vocalists of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s thanks to her commanding yet sweet voice.
She was best known for hits including “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Where the Boys Are.”
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero, she grew up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey. She often participated in talent contests and pageants, singing and playing the accordion, as described in her 1984 autobiography, “Who’s Sorry Now?”
This past year, her 1962 track “Pretty Little Baby” resurged to the top of the charts after going viral on TikTok.
Francis posted about her viral hit on Facebook, writing in May, “My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording ‘Pretty Little Baby.'”
“The first I learned of it was when Ron called to advise me that I had ‘a viral hit.’ Clearly out of touch with present-day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What’s that?'” she continued.
