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The American singer and actress Connie Francis has died, aged 87, just two weeks after she was hospitalised with ‘extreme pain’.
The news was confirmed on Thursday (17 July) on Facebook by the singer’s friend, Ron Roberts, who is the president of the musician’s label, Concetta Records.
Roberts wrote: “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night.”
“I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details will follow later,” the message concluded. Her passing was also confirmed on Francis’s official Facebook page.
The 87-year-old, who was a major star during the 1950s and 1960s, was hospitalised earlier this month and forced to cancel a special Independence Day show alongside radio personality Cousin Brucie after experiencing “extreme pain.”
“Hello Everyone — As many of you may now have learned through Cousin Brucie’s Facebook page, I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing,” she wrote on Facebook on 2 July.
“I had hoped to take part in Brucie’s show for Independence Day, having had to cancel a previous slot a few weeks ago when receiving treatment on my hip. Sadly, I had to let him know that I again had to withdraw. My thanks for your many get well soon messages. I will endeavour to keep you updated. Love, Connie.”
In June, the singer revealed that she had “undergone tests to determine the cause of pelvic pain on my right side.” She said she was advised that the pain was “due to a fracture.”
“It looks like I may have to rely on my wheelchair a little longer than anticipated,” Francis said, adding that she wouldn’t be able to make Cousin Brucie’s show that weekend.
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Francis’s “Pretty Little Baby” song has seen a resurgence in recent months thanks to TikTok and Instagram Reels. The trending song has been used by several high-profile celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian.
Speaking about the track’s renewed popularity in May, Francis admitted that she “didn’t even remember the song.”
“I had to listen to it to remember,” she told People. “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling.”
Calling it “an honour,” she added: “To see that they’re paying homage to me is just breathtaking.”
Francis was a prominent singer in the early 1950s and early 1960s. She’s additionally known for her earlier hits “Stupid Cupid,” “Who’s Sorry Now,” and “Frankie.”
At the time of its release, “Pretty Little Baby” wasn’t a major success. In fact, it wasn’t even released as a single. However, in April this year, it was streamed 17,000 times per week in the U.S., and a month later it had increased to 2.4 million streams a week, per Billboard.
Its popularity on social media has further helped it on streaming, where it’s hit 14 million streams globally, landing at No. 67 on Spotify’s Global Top 100. Francis’s label, Republic/UMe, has since re-released versions of the song that she had originally sung in Swedish, Japanese, and other languages, when her label, MGM, hoped for it to become a hit outside of the US.
Francis, who was born Concetta Franconero in Newark, New Jersey, in 1937, is estimated to have sold over 200 million records worldwide.
In 1960, she was celebrated as the most successful female artist in countries including Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia. That same year, she made history as the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her hit “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.”
She went on to become the first woman to achieve three No. 1 hits on the chart, which were among her 53 career singles.
