Pretty Little Baby singer Connie Francis, gay icon of the 1960s, dies aged 87
Singer Connie Francis, gay icon of the 1960s, dies aged 87. (Getty)
Singer Connie Francis, gay icon of the 1960s, dies aged 87. (Getty)
American music star Connie Francis, singer of 1960’s hits “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Pretty Little Baby”, has died aged 87.
Connie Francis’s death was confirmed by Ron Roberts, her friend and the president of her music label, Concetta Records.
“It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” Roberts wrote in a post shared on Francis’s official Facebook page.
“I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details will follow later.”
Francis had been hospitalised with “extreme pain” at the beginning of the month, but reassured her fans in a post on 4 July that she was “feeling much better after a good night”.
Francis, who became the first woman to top the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” back in 1960, fostered a large gay following at the peak of her career.
In an old interview with Baltimore queer venue The Hippo, unearthed in 2024, Francis spoke about judging a Connie Francis drag lookalike contest.
In the footage, Francis thanked the gay community for being “very loyal” to her throughout her career. She also attempted to work out what the “common denominator” was between her and fellow gay icons Cher, Barbara Steisand, Shirley Bassey and Diana Ross.
Francis scored a string of hits throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, including “Stupid Cupid”, “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own”, Where the Boys Are” and “Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You.”
A slew of personal tragedies, including experiencing sexual assault, depression and the murder of her brother George Franconero Jr, saw her step back from the limelight in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
She would go on to return to the stage later in life, playing shows internationally. During a performance of “Where The Boys Are” in San Francisco in 2007, Francis reportedly dubbed the song the “gay national anthem”.
An article in LGBTQ+ publication Hotspots Magazine back in 2010, purportedly written by Francis, saw the singer state that she is “110 per cent” in the LGBTQ+ community’s corner.
“For decades they have been amongst my most loyal supporters. As a matter of fact, at my concerts before I sing ‘Where the Boys Are ‘I say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen – the gay national anthem – ‘Where the Boys Are.’ So I have a very large gay following. And that’s the name of that tune,” she seemingly wrote.
Francis eventually retired in 2018, but lived to see her 1962 single “Pretty Little Baby” become a TikTok hit in early 2025.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Francis said she “didn’t even remember the song” before it went viral.
“I had to listen to it to remember,” she said. “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.”
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