'Stupid Cupid' singer Connie Francis dies at 87
The top-selling artist, born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, had been hospitalised earlier in the month after experiencing severe pain and had recently undergone hip treatment, according to a post on her 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," her publicist, Rob Roberts, posted on early Thursday on Facebook, without specifying a cause.
Though Francis' heyday faded after the 1960s, she continued to record and perform for decades.
When announcing her hospitalisation on Jul 2, she expressed regret about having to miss a planned Independence Day show.
"Petite and pretty, Ms Francis had an easy, fluid vocal style, a powerful set of lungs and a natural way with a wide variety of material," wrote The New York Times after her death.
In recent months, Francis saw renewed popularity with her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby going viral on TikTok and other video-sharing platforms.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to an Italian-American family, she shot to fame in 1958 with the release of Who's Sorry Now?
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