Connie Francis - the acclaimed pop vocalist who made history in the '50s and '60s thanks to her hits "Who's Sorry Now" and "Stupid Cupid" - has died. She was 87.
According to NBC, Francis' publicist was the one to break the news, and no cause of death has been disclosed. Francis' passing comes at a unique time when the artist has experienced a small career resurgence; her 1962 hit "Pretty Little Baby" recently went viral across TikTok, and part of her early life story has graced Broadway in the new Bobby Darin jukebox musical, Just In Time.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Connie Francis music at Live365.com.
"It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night," Ron Roberts, the president of Concetta Records (a music label owned by Francis and her royalties/copyright manager) wrote on Facebook. "I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news," he continued. "More details will follow later."
Francis had told her fans in March she was in a wheelchair "to avoid undue pressure on a troublesome, painful hip" and was in therapy. In a Facebook post July 2, she said she was in the hospital undergoing tests "to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain" she had been experiencing. That same day, Francis said she had been in the intensive care unit and was transferred to a private room. Her last update was July 4, when she wished her fans a happy Fourth of July, adding, "Today I am feeling much better after a good night."
Originally named Concetta Rosemarie Franconero, Connie Francis grew up in an Italian American family. She was born Newark, New Jersey, but grew up in Belleville and the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. She often participated in talent contests and pageants, singing and playing the accordion, as described in her 1984 autobiography.
Her big breakthrough came in 1957, when she covered an old 1923 tune called "Who's Sorry Now?" Francis disliked the song, but it was a huge hit - eventually reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed on the charts for months. "Who's Sorry Now?" would become one of her signature songs, and the eventual title of her autobiography.
Connie Francis sold over 40 million records before she was 25. Sixteen of them went gold. Her number one hit, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," came out in 1960, and made her the first female singer to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also had two other #1 hits: "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" (1960) and "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" (1962). Her acting career was short-lived - she appeared in a tiny string of undistinguished romantic comedies.
Francis' life was marred by tragedy after tragedy. Bobby Darin and Connie Francis had a brief but intense romantic relationship during their early careers in the music industry, but it was ultimately broken up due to Connie's disapproving father. Francis later expressed not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life, according to a Facebook post. Darin and Francis' love story is explored in the Tony-nominated musical, Just in Time. (Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence portray Darin and Francis, respectively.)
In 1967, one of her closest friends was strangled to death in her home. That same year, Francis underwent a cosmetic procedure meant to narrow her nose, but it damaged her ability to sing. "I couldn't sing in air conditioned rooms," she told NPR in 1982. "Which presented great problems in Las Vegas. They had to shut the air conditioning off, and the people would wilt. And I would, and the band would." She underwent another procedure to fix her nose, but she lost most of her voice post-operation. It came at an inconvenient time when Francis was recording an Italian album. Two months after her second nasal surgery, her husband left her.
In 1974, Francis was raped and robbed at knifepoint and beaten at a Howard Johnson motel after singing at a music festival in Westbury, New York. She successfully sued the company for failing to provide adequate security. At $2.5 million, it was then one of the largest awards ever in a rape case. Enduring the 1976 trial was not easy, but she was quoted in the courtroom by the New York Times saying, "If what we did here could save one girl, it was worth it."
It took three more surgeries before Francis could sing again. She was hospitalized for bipolar disorder on multiple occasions, although she was initially misdiagnosed. (She later clarified her mental health issues were actually due to post-traumatic stress disorder related to her 1974 sexual assault.) Her brother, a lawyer who had recently testified as part of an investigation into Mafia dealings, was shot to death by a pair of gunmen in his driveway in 1981.
But shortly after his murder, she turned on the radio and heard an old standard. Something about it moved her.
"And I very quietly, I started to sing it," she told NPR. "And then when I was finished, I realized that I had sung the whole song. I didn't have that kind of range before then. I went out into the street to go to an appointment, and I started singing songs. Every song I could think of, I stopped in the middle of the street and I yelled, I can sing. I mean, like, you know, it was like a scene from a movie. I went to the first phone booth and I called my manager, who was my manager since the age of 12. And I said, George, book me at Westbury right back at Westbury just as soon as you can. And he was in a state of shock. You know, he after seven years, he he said, Connie, are you all right? And I said, I'm fine. Book me at Westbury as soon as you can. "
Francis went back to performing, forming her own record company and working for years. Even after retiring to Boca Raton, she still made occasional appearances into her 80s. She was deemed a champion of resilience in the music community.
Francis' songs were covered by numerous artists across various genres, with some notable examples being "My Thanks to You" (covered by Vince Hill, Des O'Connor, and Ken Dodd), and Mandy Moore's version of "Stupid Cupid" performed in The Princess Diaries. Francis' final achievement was gaining social media fame in May 2025 for the resurgence of her song, "Pretty Little Baby." Francis even participated in the TikTok trend with a post of her own - featuring the song on the platform. “First time I’ve lip-synched to this 63-year-old recording of mine!” the caption read.
@connie_francis_official First time I’ve lip-synched to this 63 year old recording of mine!
♬ Pretty Little Baby - Connie Francis
Francis also shared a video to thank other artists and celebrities, including Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and members of the Kardashian family, for paying tribute to her and her song. "I want to thank them all for honoring me," she said, "and I want to thank the millions of people who sang along with me on 'Pretty Little Baby'."
Connie Francis is survived by Joseph Garzilli Jr., her adopted son. She was married four times, most notably to Joseph Garzilli, with whom she adopted her son.
Listen to some more Connie Francis songs below.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Connie Francis music at Live365.com.
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Article Image: A press photo of a young Connie Francis. (@themagicofpfeiffer via Instagram)
