Pop Star And ‘Pretty Little Baby’ Singer Connie Francis Dies At 87
Famous pop star of the 1950s and 1960s, Connie Francis, who’s hit “Pretty Little Baby” has had a resurgence of popularity in recent months has unfortunately passed away this week at the age of 87.
Ron Roberts, her friend and publicist, announced her death on Thursday after she was hospitalized earlier this month due to “extreme pain.” In recent months her legacy has been brought back into the spotlight with her smash hit “Pretty Little Baby” gaining popularity on TikTok and being used in millions of videos.
During its initial re-rise in popularity Francis shared a video expressing her gratitude: “I’m flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is making all over the world.”
“To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations of audiences is truly overwhelming for me.”
Francis initially rose to fame in the late fifties and early sixties and her music was enjoyed by all ages. She had over a dozen Top 20 hits, including her number one songs “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” and “The Heart Has a Mind of Its Own.” She also starred in several movies like “Where the Boys are” and “Follow the Boys.”
At 17-years-old, she signed her contract with MGM Records after appearing on a handful of TV variety shows. When she released her version of “Who’s Sorry Now?” Initially performed by Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, and Harry Ruby, it didn’t gain a lot of attention until it was played on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” show in 1958.
Clark then featured her music repeatedly on the show, and Francis even credited a lot of her success to Clark in later years.
Francis had a lot of hits among teenagers and young adults with her hits “Stupid Cupid,” “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” and “Lipstick on Your Collar.” The records became worldwide hits and she even re-recorded them in various languages.
Francis also lived through various tragedies and trauma. In an interview with AP in 1984, she stated: “My personal life is a regret from A to Z. I realized I had allowed my father to exert too much influence over me.”
Her father was named George Franconero, an accordion player who bought Francis the same instrument when she was 3-years-old. By the time she was 4, he became her manager and began booking singing dates for her.
Later on, Francis was dating fellow teen idol Bobby Darin, but when her father got word that the two were planning on getting married, he pulled a gun on Darin, and the two broke up. Francis has said that not marrying Darin was one of the biggest regrets of her life.
Although her life experiences involved a lot more tragedy, Francis found her strength and used her voice to help others. In the 1980s she wrote to President Ronald Reagan and volunteered to help others. Reagan appointed her to a task force on violent crime. In 1981, she told The New York Times:
″I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I have my voice, a gift from God I took for granted before. He gave it back to me.″
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.