Connie Francis, 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Who's Sorry Now' pop singer, dies at 87
Ron Roberts, the president of her music label, Concetta Records, announced the news on Facebook early Thursday, July 17. The statement was reshared to Francis' official Facebook page.
"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. "I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news."
Her cause of death was not shared, however Francis had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in recent weeks, where she was undergoing tests to find the source of her "extreme pain." She kept fans informed via her Facebook page. Her last update, on July 4, noted she was "feeling much better."
Roberts added that additional details would be announced at a later time.
The Newark, New Jersey, native's 1962 hit "Pretty Little Baby" recently went viral on TikTok, exposing the mid-century star to a new generation of fans.
She went on to have an acting career, in the films "When the Boys Meet the Girls," "Follow the Boys," "Looking for Love" and a film sharing a name with her 1961 hit, "Where the Boys Are."
This story is developing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
14 minutes ago
- New York Post
American Eagle breaks silence on Sydney Sweeney ‘great jeans' ad controversy
Some things just can't stay buttoned up. American Eagle has responded to critics after the brand's new denim campaign with Sydney Sweeney caused major controversy. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company said Friday in a statement obtained by The Post. 'Her jeans. Her story.' Advertisement 7 Sydney Sweeney posing for American Eagle's new denim ad campaign. American Eagle 7 American Eagle shared this response on Friday after their new 'Great Jeans' campaign with Sydney Sweeney caused major controversy. Instagram/@americaneagle 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement continued. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' Advertisement Sweeney, 27, and American Eagle faced backlash earlier this week after the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'White Lotus' starlet appeared in a new denim ad for the popular clothing and accessories retailer. 'I have great jeans… now you can too,' the 'Euphoria' actress wrote on Instagram on July 23, alongside a video for the controversial campaign. 7 Sydney Sweeney posing for American Eagle's new 'Great Jeans' ad campaign. American Eagle But the tagline, which was seemingly a pun on the word 'genes,' had some social media users comparing the marketing move to 'Nazi propaganda.' Advertisement 'I thought it was gonna be, like, kinda bad, but wow,' one critic wrote on TikTok. 'That's gonna be in history books!' 'I will be the friend that's too woke, but those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads are weird,' another added. 'Like, fascist weird. Like Nazi propaganda weird.' 7 An ad from American Eagle's new 'Great Jeans' campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. American Eagle 'Like, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman is talking about her good genes. That is Nazi Propaganda,' a third person commented, while a fourth responded, 'Saying that a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl has 'good genes' is Nazi s–t.' Advertisement Singers Lizzo, 37, and Doja Cat, 29, also took to social media to ridicule Sweeney and American Eagle over the controversy. 'My jeans are black…' the 'Truth Hurts' singer wrote alongside a digitally altered picture showing herself in the denim shirt and jeans that Sweeney wore for the American Eagle photo shoot. 7 An ad from American Eagle's controversial new ad campaign with 'Euphoria' star Sydney Sweeney. American Eagle Doja Cat shared a TikTok video of herself repeating Sweeney's American Eagle campaign monologue with an exaggerated accent. However, others came to the 'Anyone But You' star's defense and agreed that American Eagle's new denim campaign was nothing beyond a clever play on words. 'I'm confused, why are people outraged by this?' one fan wrote on Instagram. 'She looks stunning!' 7 Sydney Sweeney in American Eagle's new denim 'Great Jeans' campaign. American Eagle 'You have absolutely nothing to apologize for,' someone else commented, while a third wrote, 'If you want to hate on this ad campaign, please go touch grass!' Advertisement Still, American Eagle appeared to distance itself from the 'Nazi propaganda' backlash by sharing other ads from the campaign that did not feature Sweeney. 'Denim on denim on denim… on denim,' the company wrote alongside the new ad on July 27. 'AE has great jeans.' 7 Sydney Sweeney wearing all denim and lying on the ground for American Eagle's new 'Great Jeans' ad campaign. American Eagle Plus, American Eagle's stock rose more than 10% immediately after the new campaign kicked off on July 23. Advertisement Sweeney herself has yet to respond to the backlash and controversy caused by her 'Great Jeans' ad campaign.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Sydney Sweeney ad sparked controversy. Here's what Americans think of it in poll
An American Eagle advertisement campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has ignited a fiery debate, drawing reactions from social media users, celebrities and even the White House. But what do ordinary Americans think of it? The controversy stems from the clothing brand's use of wordplay involving 'jeans' and 'genes.' In one commercial, released in late July, Sweeney explains, 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,' while the camera lingers on her denim pants. It concludes with the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' The ad, and others like it, sparked a flurry of comments on apps like TikTok and X, with some users accusing American Eagle of promoting eugenics, white nationalism and 'Nazi propaganda.' 'It's more than cheeky wordplay, it's a dog whistle,' one TikTok user said. Public figures soon weighed in. Singer Doja Cat released a video appearing to mock Sweeney — who rose to fame starring in shows like 'Euphoria' and 'The White Lotus.' Late night host Stephen Colbert addressed the ad campaign on his show, saying online claims that it supports eugenics 'might be a bit of an overreaction.' Vice President JD Vance also offered his thoughts on the matter during a podcast interview, accusing Democrats of making a fuss over nothing. 'My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,' he said. 'That appears to be their actual strategy.' American Eagle put out a statement on Aug. 1, saying the viral ad campaign 'is and always was about the jeans,' adding 'great jeans look good on everyone.' Most Americans appear to agree that reactions to the ad have been overblown, with a new YouGov poll revealing a majority do not have a problem with the campaign. In the survey — conducted with 3,509 U.S. adults July 31-Aug. 1 — 52% of respondents said the ad's use of wordplay is appropriate, while just 16% labeled it as inappropriate. About one-third, 32%, said they weren't sure. That said, there was a noticeable partisan divide on this question. While the vast majority of Republicans, 64%, said the ad campaign was appropriate, less than half of Democrats and independents — 46% and 49%, respectively — said the same. In contrast, 24% of Democrats said the campaign's wordplay was inappropriate, while 14% of independents and just 10% of Republicans said the same. The results were similar when respondents were asked if saying someone has 'great genes' is appropriate or not. A majority, 53%, said using this phrase is appropriate, while 15% said it is inappropriate, and 31% said they were not sure. Here, again, there were substantial partisan differences, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2 percentage points. Two-thirds of Republicans said the phrase is fine to use, while half of independents and 44% of Democrats agreed. By comparison, 24% of Democrats labeled the phrase inappropriate. Fourteen percent of independents and 9% of Republicans said the same. Respondents were also asked whether 'all press is good press.' The overwhelming majority, 73%, said they disagreed with this statement, while 10% said they agreed and 17% said they were not sure. It comes after American Eagle's stock price rose by roughly 25% on July 23, the day the ad campaign was announced, according to Rolling Stone. In more recent days, it has fallen.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
'Sex and the City' fans celebrate, mourn ending of 'And Just Like That...' spinoff
"I know this season has been a trainwreck overall, but why do I feel sad?" TikTok creator Kayla Charisse said in a video on Friday, Aug. 1. Carrie Bradshaw will soon be penning her last column, and fans are sharing mixed reactions. The "Sex and the City" spinoff, "And Just Like That...," will end following the Season 3 finale, executive producer Michael Patrick King wrote in a social media statement on Aug. 1. The series premiered in 2021, 17 years after "Sex and the City" concluded in 2004. "I wanted this show to run until all the characters were in assisted living and retirement communities in West Palm Beach," one Instagram user commented on King's statement, followed by a crying emoji. King said while writing the last episode of "And Just Like That...," he felt it was a "wonderful place to stop." In a lengthy Instagram post, Parker shared her passion for the series and, of course, her beloved character, who worked as a newspaper columnist and overall fashion enthusiast. "Carrie Bradshaw has dominated my professional heartbeat for 27 years. I think I have loved her most of all," Parker wrote. And just like that, it's over: 'And Just like That' fans spot major Season 3 plot hole When does 'And Just Like That...' Season 3 end? The two-part finale of "And Just Like That..." will air on Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 on HBO Max. 'We don't want it to end' Since its first airing in 2021, "And Just Like That..." has received widespread criticism. Fans say the characters have strayed too far from their original selves (despite the once 30-somethings now being in their 50s), the plot is inconsistent, and overall, the spinoff relies far too heavily on nostalgia. In the most recent season, fans grew upset when a friend of the main cast, Lisa Todd Wexley (played by Nicole Ari Parker), called Charlotte (Kristen Davis) to inform her that her father had died suddenly from a stroke. But Wexley had already informed her friends in Season 1 that her father had died the previous year. In the comment section of King's statement, fans said the "Sex and the City" gals deserved more. "We don't want it to end," one Instagram user commented. "We want it to be better." Others were a bit more strongly worded with their feedback. "And just like that, we are being released from this hostage, hate-watch situation," TikTok creator Sabrina Bendory said in a video posted on Friday, Aug. 1. "This is not surprising because the writers clearly have no idea how to write for these characters anymore. Maybe once upon a time they did, but they have no idea now." 'And Just Like That...": Sarah Jessica Parker speaks out in emotional message about 'AJLT' ending Fans share distress over story's end Not all fans have been unhappy with "And Just Like That..." though, and they took to social media to share their mutual heartbreak. "I know this season has been a trainwreck overall, but why do I feel sad?" TikTok creator Kayla Charisse said in a video on Friday, Aug. 1. "Like, what are we going to hate watch together every Thursday? And it just finally started getting good. The bar was in hell but like, I really enjoyed last night's episode. The term bittersweet comes to mind." Viewers also expressed their sadness in the comments of King's social media statement. "It's the end of an era all over again," one Instagram user commented, referencing the "Sex and the City" finale from 2004. Contributing: Jay Stahl and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
