Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87

Connie Francis, who dominated the pop charts in the late 1950s and early ’60s with sobbing ballads like “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” as well as up-tempo soft-rock tunes like “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Vacation,” died on Wednesday. She was 87.

Her publicist, Ron Roberts, announced her death in a post on Facebook. He did not say where she died or cite a cause. Two weeks ago, Ms. Francis used Facebook to tell her fans that she had been hospitalized for extreme pain after suffering a pelvic fracture.

Ms. Francis had an easy, fluid vocal style, a powerful set of lungs and a natural way with a wide variety of material: old standards, rock ’n’ roll and country, as well as popular songs in Italian, Yiddish, Swedish and a dozen other languages.

Image

Ms. Francis in 1978. With the ascendancy of the Beatles, her days on the pop charts were over, but she retained an enormous following among older audiences.Credit…Wally Fong/Associated Press

She was best known for the pulsing, emotional delivery that coaxed every last teardrop from slow ballads like “Who’s Sorry Now” — the first of her many records to sell a million copies — and made “Where the Boys Are” a potent anthem of teenage longing. Sighing youngsters thrilled to every throb in “My Happiness” and “Among My Souvenirs.”

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *