Connie Francis, the powerhouse voice behind hits like Stupid Cupid and Who’s Sorry Now, has passed away at 87.
Her death was confirmed by Ron Roberts, president of her record label, who revealed that she died Wednesday night after being diagnosed with pneumonia during a hospital stay for a pelvic fracture. The world has lost not just a pop legend, but a woman whose voice, pain, and persistence shaped generations.
Just a few months ago, Francis was basking in a new wave of love. Her 1962 track Pretty Little Baby became a surprise TikTok sensation, as users like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and influencers Brooke Monk and Sam Dezz shared emotional clips set to the gentle ballad. Brooke and Sam’s video alone was viewed over 158 million times. Even ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog called her a lifelong favorite, while Broadway star Gracie Lawrence, currently playing Francis in Just In Time, shared a video singing the song in character. Connie herself was shocked by the resurgence, admitting, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even remember the song!” she told People last month. “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions is truly awesome.”
Born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Brooklyn, New York, Connie grew up in a working-class Italian-American family. Her dad was her first champion, pushing her into music when she was just three and learning the accordion. She later changed her name and landed a regular spot on Startime Kids. But breaking into music wasn’t easy. Rejected by nearly every label, she only got a contract with MGM because her demo song happened to be named Freddy, the same name as the label president’s son.
After 18 flopped records, she was ready to quit and study medicine, until her dad convinced her to record Who’s Sorry Now?, a song from 1923. Connie thought it was ancient history, but it became her breakout. In 1958, Dick Clark played it on American Bandstand, predicting she’d hit #1, and he was right. Connie watched it live at home, describing the moment in her diary as “Mardi Gras-time and New Year’s Eve at the turn of the century.”
Francis became one of the best-selling female artists ever. She was the first woman to top the Billboard Top 100 with Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool in 1960. She sang in multiple languages, releasing Where the Boys Are in seven dialects. She also recorded one of the first charity singles in 1963, In The Summer Of His Years, in tribute to JFK.
But her life wasn’t all chart-toppers. In 1974, after a comeback show in New York, she was brutally raped at knifepoint in a motel. The trauma led to years in psychiatric hospitals and a suicide attempt. She told Terry Wogan in 1989 how her son Joey saved her life: “I was looking at this bottle of sleeping pills… and my son knocked at the door and said, ‘Mommy, you’re the best mommy I ever had.’ I threw them down the toilet.”
Francis sued the motel and won $1.5 million. Just as she began recovering, tragedy hit again. In 1981, her brother George Franconero was murdered outside his home after testifying against the mafia. The pain sent her deeper into depression, and she was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But she turned her pain into purpose, advocating for victims of violent crimes and becoming a voice for mental health awareness. She worked with groups like Women Against Rape and Mental Health America.
She returned to performing in 1989 and sang to sold-out crowds well into her 70s. This month, she had told fans she was hospitalized for hip pain but remained in high spirits. Sadly, her condition worsened, and pneumonia took her life just as she was reentering the spotlight thanks to TikTok.
Looking back in 2010, Francis said, “With the exception of my brother’s murder, I would do it all over again.” For someone who experienced so much pain yet brought so much joy, it’s a testament to her spirit. Connie Francis was more than a pop icon, she was a fighter, a pioneer, and a voice that never truly went silent.
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