Remembering Connie Francis
• Connie Francis, the chart-topping pop singer of ’50s and ’60s classics like “Who’s Sorry Now,” “Where The Boys Are,” “Stupid Cupid,” and the recent TikTok viral hit, “Pretty Little Baby,” has died, her rep confirmed to Variety. She was 87.
Ron Roberts, Francis’ longtime friend and president of her label, Concetta Records, initially broke the news in a Wednesday night Facebook post, which Francis’ official account reposted. “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” he wrote. “I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details will follow later.”
Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on Dec. 12, 1937, in Newark, NJ, Francis was one of the defining female singers of the ’50s and ’60s, topping the charts on multiple occasions and selling over 200 million records worldwide with hits like “Stupid Cupid,” “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Frankie.” Most notably, she was the first female artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960 with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” She was also the first woman to have three No. 1 singles.
Francis recently experienced an unexpected musical resurgence when B-side “Pretty Little Baby” went viral on TikTok, resulting in over 30 million new streams of the song and its entry into Spotify’s global and U.S. charts as well as reaching the top five of iTunes’ U.S. pop songs chart. Francis then joined TikTok, where she thanked her newfound fans in a video, saying she was “flabbergasted and excited” by the song’s popularity over 60 years later.
• According to RAMP‘s resident Chart Guru, Steve Resnik, Connie Francis had 55 chart records — of those, 12 were two-sided — very few successful artists ever had one, he said. Of those 55 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1958 to 1969, Connie had 22 Top 20’s and 16 Top 10’s — 3 No. 1s, 1 No. 2; 2 No. 4s; 1 No. 5; 1 No. 6; 4 No. 7s; 2 No. 8s; 1 No. 9, and 1 No. 10.
• Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO of UMe, the global catalog division of Universal Music Group (pictured here with Connie on June 6) issued this statement on her passing: “From breaking barriers as the first female singer to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, to going viral on TikTok at 87 with her infectious song ‘Pretty Little Baby,’ Connie Francis led a truly extraordinary life. She gave the world countless, timeless songs and inspired generations with her voice, resilience, and trailblazing spirit. We are deeply saddened by her passing, but take comfort in knowing how joyful and fulfilled she felt in these last few months, as a new generation discovered her music and celebrated her legacy.” [Photo by Erick Quituizaca]
