Connie Francis, beloved singer of “Pretty Little Baby,” who passed away at age 87.
Connie Francis, who dominated the pop charts in the late 1950s and early ’60s with sobbing ballads like “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” as well as up-tempo soft-rock tunes like “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Vacation,” died on Wednesday. She was 87.
Her publicist, Ron Roberts, announced her death in a post on Facebook. He did not say where she died or cite a cause.
Petite and pretty, Ms. Francis had an easy, fluid vocal style, a powerful set of lungs and a natural way with a wide variety of material: old standards, rock ‘n’ roll, country and western, and popular songs in Italian, Yiddish, Swedish and a dozen other languages.
Between 1958 and 1964, when her brand of pop music began to fall out of favor, Ms. Francis was the most popular female singer in the United States, selling 40 million records. Her 35 Top-40 hits during that period included 16 songs in the top 10, and three No. 1 hits: “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You.”
She was best known for the pulsing, emotional delivery that coaxed every last teardrop from slow ballads like “Who’s Sorry Now?”, and made “Where the Boys Are” a potent anthem of teenage longing. Sighing youngsters thrilled to every throb in “My Happiness” and “Among My Souvenirs.”
“What struck me was the purity of the voice, the emotion, the perfect pitch and intonation,” said Neil Sedaka, who wrote “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are” with Howard Greenfield. “It was clear, concise, beautiful. When she sang ballads, they just soared.”
Her song “Pretty Little Baby” had a TikTok-fueled resurgence this year, trending for weeks on the social media app and soaring to top spots in Spotify’s Viral 50 global and U.S. lists.
Concetta Franconero was born on Dec. 12, 1938, in Newark and grew up in the Ironbound neighborhood. Her father, the son of Italian immigrants, was a dockworker and a roofer who loved to play the concertina, and he put an accordion in his daughter’s hands when she was 3.
From that moment, he hovered over her musical development and her career, putting her onstage at local lodges and churches. She made her stage debut at 4, singing “Anchors Aweigh” and accompanying herself on the accordion at Olympic Park in Irvington, N.J.
At 11, she was a regular on a “Marie Moser’s Starlets,” a local television variety show. After she appeared on Ted Mack’s “Original Amateur Hour” and “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,” Mr. Mack advised her to lose the accordion, and Mr. Godfrey advised her to change her last name to “Francis.” She then embarked on a four-year run as one of the child entertainers on “Startime.”
As she outgrew the child-star category, Ms. Francis obtained forged documents and began singing in clubs and lounges. Imitating the vocals styles of stars like Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney, she made demonstration tapes for music publishers who wanted to place their songs with famous singers.
What was Connie Francis diagnosed with?
She and her doctors eventually concluded her mental health issues stemmed from post-traumatic stress disorder, primarily related to the events of 1974. In 1984, Francis wrote and published her autobiography, Who’s Sorry Now?, which became a New York Times bestseller.
Was Connie Francis in love with Bobby Darin?
Yes, Connie Francis was deeply in love with Bobby Darin. Their relationship was a passionate romance that was ultimately thwarted by Connie’s father. Francis has described Darin as the love of her life, according to news reports.
What was Connie Francis number one song?
In 1960, Connie Francis became the first female artist to achieve a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”.
Who was Connie Francis in love with?
Connie Francis was in love with Bobby Darin, but her father disapproved of their relationship and ultimately prevented them from marrying. They were both young singers/songwriters at the time and their romance was a major part of their early careers.
What were Bobby Darin’s last words?
Bobby Darin’s last words were reported to be “Cyprus 26725”, which was the number for a phone he bought for his family with his first royalty check, according to People.com. He never regained consciousness after a series of heart surgeries and died in the early morning hours of December 20, 1973.
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