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Time of India

Viral at 87: How Connie Francis broke TikTok six decades after recording 'Pretty Little Baby'

Connie Francis , one of the most recognisable voices in American pop history, has died at the age of 87. The news of her death was confirmed by her manager and long-time friend, Ron Roberts, in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday. '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.' 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She had shared health updates directly with her fans, posting on 2 July, 'I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo According to The New York Post, Francis had been experiencing recurring pain for some time. She was later transferred to the intensive care unit, forcing her to cancel a planned appearance on Cousin Brucie's Independence Day radio show. Final weeks and ongoing health struggles Despite her hospitalisation, Francis tried to reassure her followers. On 3 and 4 July, she wrote that she was 'feeling much better,' though doctors were still running tests. Live Events Her health troubles weren't new. In May, she had revealed she was using a wheelchair after hip surgery. The exact cause of her death has not been disclosed. From Newark to No.1: The rise of Connie Francis Born Concetta Franconero on 12 December 1937 in Newark, New Jersey, she began performing at the age of four, encouraged by her father. Singing and playing the accordion, she entered talent shows and eventually appeared on television, including NBC's Startime Kids. She adopted the stage name Connie Francis before a spot on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where producers suggested a simpler surname for mass appeal. Though her early career was marked by struggle, with eight unsuccessful singles under MGM Records, things changed in 1957 with her duet The Majesty of Love. It reached the Billboard Hot 100, but her contract was nearing its end. At what was meant to be her final session, she recorded a cover of Who's Sorry Now , a 1923 standard. It took a while to catch on, but when Dick Clark played it on American Bandstand, it shot to No. 1 in the UK and No. 4 in the US. That performance cemented her place in music history. Breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry Francis was more than a pop star. She became the first solo female artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Everybody's Somebody's Fool in 1960. She was also the first woman to land three No. 1 singles. Hits like Stupid Cupid, Frankie, Lipstick on Your Collar, Don't Break the Heart That Loves You and My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own turned her into a household name. Teaming up with songwriting duo Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, she carved out a unique space with a mix of original songs and covers. She later expanded her audience with Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites in 1959, a move that connected her with older listeners and ethnic communities alike. Francis was one of the first American artists to regularly record in multiple languages. Her repertoire included Italian, Spanish, Yiddish, German, Romanian and Irish. Her 1960 German single Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel topped charts in West Germany and was widely played across Europe, including in Cold War-era Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. She remained a global sensation well into the 60s, even as the Beatles and Rolling Stones changed the landscape of popular music. Personal tragedy and career setbacks The 1970s marked a difficult chapter. In 1974, Francis said she had been raped while staying at a motel during a tour. She sued the hotel chain for negligence and was awarded $2.5 million, but the trauma led to severe depression. She lost her voice due to nasal surgery and withdrew from performing until 1981. That same year, her brother was murdered by the mafia. Once again, she retreated from the public eye. She later chronicled these experiences in her 1984 memoir Who's Sorry Now?, which became a bestseller. A second autobiography, Among My Souvenirs, followed in 2017. Late-career resurgence and social media fame Though she officially retired in 2018, Francis found herself unexpectedly back in the limelight. Her 1961 B-side track Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok and Instagram, racking up more than 30 million streams and climbing back into the charts. She joined TikTok and responded to the renewed interest by saying she was 'flabbergasted and excited.' The song reached Spotify's global and US charts and climbed into iTunes' US top five pop chart, introducing her to a new generation of listeners. A career that crossed generations Francis sold over 200 million records worldwide. She topped charts in countries including Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia. She also headlined concerts across the US and abroad well into the 1990s and early 2000s. She was inducted into the Italian Hall of Fame in 2009 and was widely recognised for breaking down barriers for women in the music business following the Second World War. Francis was married four times and adopted a son, Joey, during her marriage to restaurateur Joseph Garzilli. She was also romantically linked to singer Bobby Darin and had a long-term partner, Tony Ferretti, until his death in 2022. Francis' songs provided comfort to many in times of loneliness, heartbreak and conflict. Her voice reached across borders and decades, reminding the world that pop music could be personal, global and enduring all at once. Her story was not just one of success but of survival, reinvention and impact. She remained loved, listened to and remembered, even in her final years. Connie Francis is gone, but the music stays.