"Pretty Little Baby" singer Connie Francis has died at 87. Image: Times.
(The Post News)– The 1950s and 1960s hitmaker, Connie Francis, who resurged in popularity due to TikTokers’ use of ‘pretty little baby,’ has died at 87 years old.
On July 7, Francis’ close friend, publicist, and president of the singer’s record label, Concetta Records, Ron Roberts, confirmed that Francis passed on Wednesday. Robert wrote on Facebook, “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night.”
The news came after Francis revealed on July 7 that she had been hospitalized after being in “extreme pain.” The New Jersey singer, born Concetta Franconero, chose the stage name Connie Francis after competing in pageantry as a child.
Her first hit song was “Who’s Sorry Now?” Which broke UK and US charts and propelled her to stardom in 1958. Francis went on to publish numerous other record-charting songs, making her the third highest-selling performer in the 60s after Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Before her death, Francis’ “Pretty Little Baby” had become a viral sensation, being used in over a million videos.
In an old interview, Francis expressed that her desire is to be remembered for the depths she has risen from rather than the heights she has attained. She referenced the mental health struggles she had after being sexually assaulted at knife point and robbed at a motel in 1974. According to her, that sent her down a spiral of drug use, paranoia, and suicidal depression.
Francis had been married 4 times and leaves behind her son, Joseph Garzilli Jr., also known as Joey.
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