Connie Francis, the iconic singer of the 1950s and ’60s known for hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Pretty Little Baby,” has died at age 87. Her death was announced Thursday by her longtime friend and publicist, Ron Roberts. Francis passed away Wednesday night in a hospital in Pompano Beach, Florida, following complications from a pelvic fracture and pneumonia.
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Newark, New Jersey, Francis began performing as a child with encouragement—and later strict control—from her father, who managed her early career. She broke through in 1958 when Dick Clark played her rendition of the old ballad “Who’s Sorry Now?” on American Bandstand, turning her into a household name.
Francis became one of the top-charting female vocalists of the pre-Beatles era, scoring more than a dozen Top 20 hits, including “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” “Stupid Cupid,” and “The Heart Has a Mind of Its Own.” She also starred in teen-focused films such as Where the Boys Are and Follow the Boys, further cementing her pop culture appeal.
Despite her fame, Francis’s life was marked by deep personal turmoil. Her romance with fellow teen idol Bobby Darin ended when her father intervened violently. She was raped in a hotel room in 1974, a trauma that led to a public legal battle and years of emotional distress. Her brother was murdered in 1981, and she later struggled with mental health issues, including a suicide attempt and forced institutionalization.
Francis was married four times, though she said only one of those relationships truly mattered. In recent years, her 1960s single “Pretty Little Baby” found new popularity through social media, a revival she called “hard to believe.”
Francis remained grateful to her fans and credited Dick Clark for keeping her career alive. “Without him,” she once said, “I would have given up.”
Source: CBS