WASHINGTON: American pop singer Connie Francis, whose ballads and teen anthems topped the charts during the late 1950s and early 1960s, has died at the age of 87.
Her death was confirmed on Thursday by her publicist Ron Roberts in a statement posted to Facebook.
“It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” Roberts said, without disclosing the cause of death or location.
Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on 12 December 1938 in Newark, New Jersey, Francis was one of the most recognisable voices of the pre-Beatles pop era.
She first shot to fame in 1958 with her rendition of the classic ballad Who’s Sorry Now?, which became a breakout hit after it aired on the influential television show American Bandstand.
Francis went on to release a string of chart-topping songs, including Stupid Cupid, Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool, My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own, Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You, and Lipstick on Your Collar.
She had more than a dozen Top 20 hits between 1957 and 1964, cementing her status as a pop sensation.
Known for her clear, emotive vocals and versatility, she recorded songs in multiple languages and sold millions of records worldwide.
Her fame extended to the silver screen as well. Francis starred in several films, including Where the Boys Are (1960) and Follow the Boys (1963), and was honoured with a special Golden Globe in 1964 for her contributions to the recording industry.
Despite a career decline, Francis remained active in the music scene for decades. In 2019, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the East Coast Music Hall of Fame Awards.
In recent months, she experienced a resurgence in popularity when her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok, introducing her music to a new generation.
The song was used in more than 600,000 TikTok posts and climbed to the top of Spotify’s Viral 50 charts.
Francis responded by creating a TikTok account and expressing gratitude to her new fans on social media. “I’m still astounded by the popularity of Pretty Little Baby,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
Francis was married four times, with each marriage ending in divorce. In 2022, she mourned the death of her long-time partner, Tony Ferretti, with whom she had spent nearly two decades.
Throughout her career, she credited her father, George Franconero, a roofing contractor and accordion player, as the driving force behind her musical journey.
He began managing her career when she was just a child, and pushed her relentlessly towards stardom.
However, Francis later expressed regret over allowing him so much control over her personal and professional life.
In her 1984 autobiography Who’s Sorry Now?, she wrote: “My personal life is a regret from A to Z. I realised I had allowed my father to exert too much influence over me.”
