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Connie Francis, the iconic pop vocalist celebrated for classics such as "Who's Sorry Now?" and "Pretty Little Baby," has passed away at 87. The news was confirmed by her longtime friend and publicist, Ron Roberts, who stated, "It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night," in a statement shared on her official Facebook page.
Born Concetta Franconero in Newark, New Jersey, in 1937, Francis began performing at age four and won early recognition on Startime Talent Scouts. Host Arthur Godfrey advised her to adopt a more easily pronounced stage name, leading to the change to Connie Francis. In 1955, she secured a recording contract with MGM Records, though her initial releases failed. Her breakthrough came in 1958 with "Who's Sorry Now?"—a 1923 ballad she reluctantly recorded at her father's insistence. "He said, 'If you don't record this song, dummy, the only way you'll get on American Bandstand is to sit on the TV,'" she recalled.
The track gained popularity after airing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, catapulting her to fame. She followed it with hits such as "Stupid Cupid," "Lipstick on Your Collar," "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You," and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own." In 1960, she made history with "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," becoming the first solo female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100.
Francis also took on roles in several teen-focused films, including Where the Boys Are, Follow the Boys and When the Boys Meet the Girls. She later expressed her frustration with the repetitive use of the word "boys" in the titles.
Her personal life was marred by hardship. In 1974, she was raped at knifepoint in a hotel after a concert. She won a lawsuit against the hotel for $2.5 million, later settling for $1.475 million. In 1981, her brother George was murdered, an event that deepened her trauma. She faced significant mental health challenges, underwent multiple involuntary hospitalizations, and survived a suicide attempt. "To make a short story long, in the '80s, I was involuntarily committed to mental institutions 17 times in nine years," she told the Village Voice.
Despite it all, she remained resilient. In 2025, her 1962 track Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok. "To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome," she told People. Connie Francis is survived by her son and remembered for her enduring spirit and iconic music.
