Connie Francis, pop icon behind Pretty Little Baby, dies at 87

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – The US’ Connie Francis, one of the most successful female singers of the 20th century, has died at the age of 87, press reports said.

Francis, known for her chart-topping hits such as Who’s Sorry Now, Stupid Cupid, and Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool, passed away Wednesday night after being diagnosed with pneumonia during a hospital stay for a pelvic fracture, said Ron Roberts, the president of her record label, the BBC reported Thursday.

The singer, born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero in Brooklyn, New York, rose to international fame in the late 1950s.

In 1960, she became the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her 1962 ballad Pretty Little Baby recently went viral on TikTok, introducing her music to a new generation.

“To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome,” she told the US’ People magazine.

Francis endured major personal hardships, including a rape in 1974 and the 1981 murder of her brother.

She later became an advocate for crime victims and mental health awareness.

Despite these challenges, she resumed performing and continued to tour into her seventies.

Her friend and label head said more details on her passing would be shared later.