Legendary singer Connie Francis, known for the viral song Pretty Little Baby, breathed her last on Wednesday (July 16). She was 87. As per reports, she was admitted to a hospital in Florida two weeks ago due to "extreme pain".
Singer Connie Francis dies
Connie's friend Ron Roberts, who is the president of the musician's label Concetta Records, took to his official Facebook account, on Thursday, to share the tragic news.
"It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night. I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details will follow later," he wrote.
The news of Connie Francis' death comes after she confirmed in a Facebook post on July 4 that she was "feeling much better after a good night," two days after she was hospitalised.
The singer revealed that she was "back in hospital" on July 2, informing her fans she'd been "undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing."
Francis' iconic 1962 song Pretty Little Baby brought her back in the spotlight, as people used the songs to make Tiktok, and Instagram reels.
In May, Billboard reported the song had scored more than 2.4 million plays on Spotify.
Who was Connie Francis?
Born Concetta Franconero in Newark, New Jersey, on December 12, 1937, Francis was just 4, when she took part in talent contests and pageants, all thanks to her father who encouraged her to sing and play accordion. Apart from being a musician, he was also an actor, who appeared on TV shows and was a performer on NBC’s Startime Kids. Connie Francis was her stage name.
Connie Francis musical career
Francis was one of the most renowned singers of the 1950s and early 1960s. She delivered singles like Who's Sorry Now?, My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own, and Don't Break The Heart That Loves You, among others.
In 1955, she signed a contract with MGM Records, but most of her songs were unsuccessful. She recorded a version of Who's Sorry Now? which was not a hit until it featured on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1958. She didn't look back since then and gave hits like My Happiness, Lipstick on Your Collar, Among My Souvenirs and more. Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites was one of her most successful albums in 1959 . She was the first woman to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with her cult 1960 track Everybody's Somebody's Fool.
She also starred in a few films in the 1960s, including Where the Boys Are, Follow the Boys, Looking for Love, and When the Boys Meet the Girls, among others.
