Connie Francis died at the age of 87

Connie Francis, the pop singer, who published a number of Hit-Singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s-including “Where The Boys Are” and “Who’s Sorry now?” -, died on Wednesday at the age of 87.

Career start and first great success

Francis ‘death was confirmed on Thursday by Ron Roberts, her friend and president of her label Concetta Records (Francis’ birth name War Concetta Franconero). “It is with a heavy heart and great grief that I have to tell you about the death of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” wrote Roberts in a statement on social media, which was also shared on Francis’ regularly updated Facebook page. “I know that Connie would approved that her fans are among the first to find out this sad news.”

While no cause of death was called, Franci’s announced at the beginning of the month that she was taken to the hospital due to “extreme pain”, which she was forced to miss a radio show on July 4 with moderator Cousin Brucie.

Francis’ music career began with a number of unsuccessful singles for MGM Records in the mid -1950s. However, she was obliged to sing the singing for the actresses Tuesday Weld and Jayne Mansfield in the films “Rock, Rock, Rock” (1956) and “The Sheriff of Fractored JAW” (1958).

After dropping by MGM Records, Francis was encouraged, the song “Who’s sorry now?” by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby from the 1920s. This version became its first big hit in 1958. He reached fourth in the Billboard Hot 100. The single started both her music and film career. Francis became the best -selling singer of her era. And the first female artist to reach the Billboard 200th place. Among other things with the number one hits “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” and “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” in 1960.

International successes and film appearance

The following year, Francis recorded her hit “Where The Boys Are”, who reached fourth place. And who also awarded the 1960 film of the same name in 1960, in which Francis also played along. In 1962 she achieved her third and last number a single single with “Don’t Break the Heart that Loves you”. The singer also resumed many of her hits in foreign languages, making her an international music star at the transition from the 1950s to the 1960s.

Agency of success and personal tragedies

From 1963, Francis’ popularity began to disappear when the taste of music shifted towards British Invasion and Rock & Roll, even though it continued to absorb through the 1960s. The following decade was characterized by severe strokes of fate for Francis. At the beginning of a planned comeback tour, she was sexually attacked in a hotel room. An event that she had for decades with PTBs. A nasal operation in 1974 also meant that it could no longer sing until the early 1980s. In 1981 her brother was killed in a mafia shootout. Francis spent large parts of the decade in psychiatric clinics.

Comeback and viral TikTok hit

In the nineties and the following decades, Francis resumed her career. She went on tour again. And occasionally recorded music before she calmed down in 2018. At the beginning of this year she surprisingly experienced a comeback in the spotlight when her single “Pretty Little Baby” from 1962 went viral on Tikkok. There she reached first place in the music charts of the service with over 1.3 million contributions that used the song. A video for the song achieved over 32 million views on YouTube. Francis’ most popular video:

“I am thrilled and overwhelmed by the success of ‘Pretty Little Baby’,” said Francis in a statement in May. “I recorded this song 63 years ago. And to know that a completely new generation now knows who I am and know my music is incredible for me. Many thanks to everyone, thank you Tiktok.”