‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance’ singer-actor Irene Cara dies at 63
She was a four-time Grammy Award winner, two-time Golden Globe Award winner and a Tony Award nominee for the acclaimed Broadway musical “Cats.”
(CNN) — Irene Cara, the vocalist and actress who was a star of the 1960s pop and folk movement, died Wednesday at age 63.
She was a four-time Grammy Award winner, two-time Golden Globe Award winner and a Tony Award nominee for the acclaimed Broadway musical “Cats.”
She will be remembered as a trailblazer in the history of female songwriters, who in the era of the “Fame” and “Flashdance” singer-actor, pioneered the creation of hit songs for women.
Her career began with her debut on the stage at age 11 in a production of “Peter Pan,” she wrote in a statement on her website.
“From then on I sang at weddings and funerals until the age of 18 when I had to go home early to care for my young family,” Cara wrote. “I continued to sing and perform but had to wait, unable to break into the music industry.
“Once I had my house in order (my family moved into their own house) I thought I could finally sing a solo album, and I did. Finally I had the freedom to create and record.”
Cara’s debut, which featured “You Are So Beautiful” and “The Impossible Dream,” became the first such album by a female performer since the 1930s, when such hits as “There Must Be More to Life Than This” were among the most popular in country music.
Her first hit single, “I Should Care” was released in 1963, and was the first recording of an original song by a female artist since the 1940s. It peaked at No. 4 on the U