Connie Francis, ‘Pretty Little Baby’ and ‘Who’s Sorry Now?’ singer, dies at 87

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Connie Francis, the wholesome pop star of the 1950s and 1960s whose hits include “Pretty Little Baby” and who would later serve as an ironic title for a personal life filled with heartbreak and tragedy, has died at age 87.

Her death was announced Thursday by her friend and publicist, Ron Roberts, who did not immediately provide additional details.

Francis was a top performer of the pre-Beatles era, rarely off the charts from 1957-64. Able to appeal to both young people and adults, she had more than a dozen top 20 hits, starting with “Who’s Sorry Now?” and including the No. 1 songs “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” and “The Heart Has a Mind of Its Own.” Like other teen favorites of her time, she also starred in several films, including “Where the Boys Are” and “Follow the Boys.”

Despite her success and popularity, her life was marked by tragedy and heartbreak. Early in her career, she was introduced to singer and songwriter Bobby Darin; Darrin’s manager arranged for him to help write several songs for her.

After several weeks, the two fell in love, but Francis’ strict Italian father did not like the relationship and separated them whenever he could. Upon learning the two planned to elope after one of her shows, he chased Darin out of a building at gunpoint.

Francis saw Darin only twice more before his untimely death at age 37 in 1973: once when they were scheduled to sing together for a TV show, and again when she appeared in an episode of “This is Her Life.” She later wrote that not marrying Darin was “the biggest mistake of her life.”

In 1974, Francis stopped performing after she was raped and nearly suffocated at knife point in a New York motel after appearing at the Westbury Music Fair. The perpetrator was never found. Tragedy struck again in 1981 when her brother, George Franconero, Jr., was killed by Mafia hitmen.

Francis resumed her recording and performing career in 1989, headlining in Las Vegas and releasing releasing a double album, “Where the Hits Are,” featuring re-recordings of 18 of her best-selling songs. She released a live album in 1996 and returned to Las Vegas as a headliner again in 2004.

The wholesome pop songstress released her most recent autobiography, “Among My Souvenirs,” in 2017 and retired in 2018, but she enjoyed a renewed surge of popularity after her hit single “Pretty Little Baby” became popular this year on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

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