SINGER Connie Francis has died at 87, just days after sharing a sweet message for her fans on Facebook.
The pop legend, known for hits Pretty Little Baby and Stupid Cupid, posted a now-heartbreaking health update on July 4.
Francis died on Wednesday, her publicist announced. No cause of death was disclosed.
Fans of the 1950s star were worried in the weeks before her death after Francis wrote on Facebook that she was hospitalized in Florida due to “extreme pain” on July 2.
Two days later, she reassured her social media followers with a special message.
“Today I am feeling much better after a good night, and wanted to take this opportunity of wishing you all a happy Fourth of July,” Francis wrote on the morning of the holiday.
“Thank you all for your continued kind thoughts and prayers. A happy Independence Day to you and your loved ones.”
The post included a picture of Francis previously performing on a stage as well as her with an American flag saying, “God Bless America.”
In March, Francis had told her fans she was in a wheelchair and in physical therapy due to a “troublesome, painful hip.”
Ron Roberts, Francis’s close friend and the president of her music label, Concetta Records, shared the sad news of her death in a Facebook post early 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.“
Singer Connie Francis dies at 87 – months after her 1960s track Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok
Roberts said Francis died peacefully, according to People.
“We were expecting it, unfortunately,” the former journalist told the outlet.
“They couldn’t locate where the pain was exactly,” he said, adding that she had trouble with her hip for “some time” before her death.
Roberts said Francis remained positive in the days before her death, and even confided in him that she felt “absolutely terrible” around the time she shared the optimistic post on July 4.
Connie Francis hits
Pop singer Connie Francis topped the charts in the 1950s and 1960s. Below are some of her most popular songs:
- Who’s Sorry Now?
- Pretty Little Baby
- Stupid Cupid
- I’m Sorry I Made You Cry
- Mama
- My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
- Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool
- Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You
He said Francis was “unconscious” for at least two days before she died.
“She slipped away peacefully,” Roberts said.
He added that Francis would be “smiling” to know that she left behind such a large fan base.
PRETTY LITTLE BABY’S RESURGENCE
The pop legend topped the charts during the ’50s and ’60s with her sweet vocals and catchy songs.
In the last year, her 1962 B-side Pretty Little Baby has become hugely popular on TikTok and turned into a viral hit.
“That is the incredible story, I think: That she left this world as big a star [as she ever was],” Roberts told People about the song’s resurgence.
Francis reacted to the song’s traction in a Facebook post in May.
“My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording ‘Pretty Little Baby,'” she wrote.
“The first I learned of it was when Ron called to advise me that I had ‘a viral hit.’
“Clearly out of touch with present-day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What’s that?’ Thank you everyone!”
