logo
Singer behind viral TikTok hit dies at 87

Singer behind viral TikTok hit dies at 87

Independent2 days ago
American singer and actor Connie Francis has died at the age of 87, two weeks after being hospitalised with severe pain.
Her death was confirmed on Thursday, 17 July, by her friend Ron Roberts, president of her label Concetta Records, and also on her official Facebook page.
Francis was a major pop star in the 1950s and 1960s, selling over 200 million records worldwide and becoming the first woman to achieve three number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Her song 'Pretty Little Baby' recently experienced a resurgence in popularity on TikTok and Instagram Reels, gaining millions of streams globally.
Beyond her musical career, Francis was a vocal advocate for hotel security changes after surviving a rape in 1974, and later championed mental health awareness and support for veterans.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jimmy Kimmel weighs in on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cancellation
Jimmy Kimmel weighs in on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cancellation

The Independent

time4 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Jimmy Kimmel weighs in on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cancellation

CBS has announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with its final episode scheduled for May 2026. The network and Paramount stated that the decision to end the long-running franchise was purely financial, not related to the show's performance or content. Stephen Colbert confirmed the news to his live audience, explaining that the show would conclude rather than him being replaced. Fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel publicly defended Colbert, criticising CBS for their decision. Despite the cancellation, The Late Show currently leads its time slot in ratings, having gained viewers this year with approximately 2.417 million viewers.

Scooter Braun fiercely slammed as he claims his feud with Taylor Swift helped her career
Scooter Braun fiercely slammed as he claims his feud with Taylor Swift helped her career

Daily Mail​

time5 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Scooter Braun fiercely slammed as he claims his feud with Taylor Swift helped her career

Taylor Swift fans have fiercely slammed Scooter Braun after he seemed to claim that his drama with the singer lead to the 'biggest moment of her career.' The music mogul, 44, sat down on Danielle Robay's Question Everything podcast this week, during which he reflected on his purchase and ultimate sale of the Cruel Summer songstress' masters. Scooter famously bought the rights to Taylor's old songs when he acquired her former record label in 2019 for $300 million. At the time, the hitmaker, 35, said she was blindsided by the news, and accused Scooter of 'incessant, manipulative bullying.' Taylor went on to re-recorded many of her old albums, and Scooter eventually sold the songs to an investment firm called Shamrock Holdings for $405 million. The singer then bought the masters back in May for a deal reportedly worth $360 million. Now, Scooter has spoke about the situation in detail, and he alleged that the feud ultimately made her more successful. 'She did incredibly well and basically had the biggest moment of her career, reinvigorating her career with each one,' he said of her re-recorded albums. 'It was brilliant on her part. But also, each time she released one, you saw a spike in the original catalog.' Despite Taylor's initial and very public upset over the news that he had bought her old songs, Scooter insisted that 'everyone won' in the end. 'Funny enough, everyone involved in the saga, from a business standpoint, won,' he continued. 'She's the biggest she's ever been, biggest artist of all time. We did really well with the asset. The people who bought the asset did really well because of those spikes. 'I wish kids and people out there understood that, like, there are scenarios in life where there doesn't need to be an oppressor and oppressed, there are scenarios in life where it's a misunderstanding, yet everyone can succeed.' Elsewhere during the interview, Scooter spoke about the impact that their fight and the backlash that followed had on his family - and addressed rumors that Taylor's popular revenge hit Vigilante S**t was about him. 'I just wish that it didn't take such a toll on my family,' Scooter said. 'It was a very tough time for us. 'There's a lot of people out there that don't understand, and they hear this stuff and they take it to a level that's really not OK. Despite Taylor's initial and very public upset over the news that he had bought her old songs, Scooter insisted that 'everyone won' in the end 'My kids were really young then. But my oldest is 10, and someone said something very mean to him at school. 'But the beautiful thing is, I didn't have to talk that much because my kids know who their dad is.' Scooter and his wife Yael Cohen - who share three kids together - split in 2021 amidst the immense scrutiny. One year after they divorced, Taylor dropped her song Vigilante S**t, which was all about Taylor getting back at someone who wronged her. In it, she mentioned a couple who had ended their marriage after she sent the woman 'cold hard proof' that her husband was cheating - and many people theorized it was about Scooter and Yael. 'She needed cold, hard proof, so I gave her some / She had the envelope, where you think she got it from?' the lyrics read. 'Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride / Picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife / And she looks so pretty / Driving in your Benz / Lately she's been dressing for revenge.' 'Did you ever think these [lyrics] were about you?' Danielle asked the businessman during their sit-down. 'No, because I talk to Yael every day,' Scooter insisted. 'My ex-wife is one of my best friends, so me and my ex-wife laugh about that stuff. 'We don't even call each other ex. That's like my partner, you know? That's the mother of my children. That is my family for life. 'I have a tattoo on my finger that says: "Same team" after my divorce, because she and I are same team for life. 'It's what we say to each other. So, no, I never thought that was about us, she never thought it was about us, and everyone else kind of feeding into the fire… Great strategy move, but, like, no.' Afterwards, Taylor's fans discussed Scooter's comments in droves on Instagram and X, and many bashed him for rehashing the drama and hinting that he helped her career. 'Why is the smallest man who ever lived so obsessed with her?' one user asked, quoting another one of her famous songs, called Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Afterwards, Taylor's fans discussed Scooter's comments in droves on Instagram and X, and many bashed him for rehashing the drama and hinting that he helped her career 'OMG shut up. We are tired,' someone else scathed. 'Is he obsessed or is he obsessed?' asked another person. 'She lives rent free in his little head,' a fourth comment read. 'Man takes credit for woman's success a tale as old as time,' a fifth said. 'Yes, she did. And she won. But not because of Scooter, but in spite of him. And even now, he only appears in the news because of her name. Leave her alone,' urged a different user.

Clay Travis thinks Stephen Colbert's anti-Donald Trump 'swill' played part in ruthless CBS axe
Clay Travis thinks Stephen Colbert's anti-Donald Trump 'swill' played part in ruthless CBS axe

Daily Mail​

time5 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Clay Travis thinks Stephen Colbert's anti-Donald Trump 'swill' played part in ruthless CBS axe

OutKick founder Clay Travis believes Donald Trump has sped up the decline of late night talkshows, after Stephen Colbert 's program was canceled this week. The 'Late Show' was axed this week and according to reports, was losing up to $40million a year - a figure bosses at CBS ultimately decided was unsustainable for its best-known show. Advertising revenue for Colbert's show has dropped 40% since 2018. Colbert regularly attacked Donald Trump over the airwaves - the President reacted with glee when the news broke Thursday of Colbert's demise - but Travis believes the anti-Trump agenda of multiple late night talkshows is a reason behind their widespread struggles. He wrote on X on Saturday: 'I think the late night comedy shows have been replaced by actual comedy specials — it used to be pretty hard to see comedy sets, now streaming has a billion — & podcasts, which do much better and more authentic interviews with 'famous' people than the five minute late show interviews. 'I'd argue the late night show audience got split and erased by those two alternatives. Having said that, late night shows might have had another decade if they'd stuck to making fun of both sides instead of becoming bastions of anti-Trump swill. 'They thought crushing Trump was their salvation, in reality he accelerated their obsolescence.' The 46-year-old Travis, who launched the sports and opinion website in 2011, posted several thoughtful suggestions over how and why talkshows appear to be struggling for viewers - none more so than on CBS. When 'The Late Late Show' host James Corden left in 2023, CBS opted not to hire a replacement. The network also canceled 'After Midnight' this year, after host Taylor Tomlinson chose to return to full-time stand-up comedy. Travis also scrutinized their efforts to adapt to the demands of the internet age. 'Late night comedy forgot their shows served everyone & decided to pursue Internet niche instead,' he wrote. 'I think lots of big brands have over indexed what 'Twitter' thinks. ESPN, for instance. And it has largely made their brands and product worse. 'Challenge in Internet age is bland content that appeals to everyone doesn't have the hard core fandom depth necessary to succeed there. 'Most 'TV people' don't work on Internet because authenticity is most important trait in Internet era and TV guys and gals often are pretty fake. Interesting thing to me is now TV is just taking Internet people and putting them on TV to try and save itself.' Trump made no effort in hiding his delight at the news of Colbert's show ending. He wrote on Truth Social: 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. 'His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! 'Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store