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Connie Francis

Updated: Wikipedia source

Connie Francis

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( FRANG-koh-NEER-oh; December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025), known professionally as Connie Francis, was an American singer and actress. One of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early 1960s, she amassed over 100 million records sold, placing her among the best-selling music artists in history. After a string of unsuccessful releases, Francis rose to fame in 1958 with her cover of the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now?", which was followed by various other top-10 hits. She became the first woman to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" topped the chart in 1960. She was also the first woman to achieve three No. 1 hits on the chart, among her 53 career entries. Before the advent of the British Invasion, Francis was the most popular female vocalist in the United States between 1958 and 1964. Francis recorded music in multiple languages, including English, Italian, French, German, Greek, Yiddish, and Japanese, making her a best-selling artist in international markets as well as in American immigrant communities. Between 1974 and 1988, a series of traumatic personal experiences, including a rape attack at knifepoint, led Francis to suffer years of psychological and physical difficulties that sidelined her career. She resumed performing from 1989 until her retirement in 2018. She regained prominence in 2025, shortly before her death, when her 1962 recording "Pretty Little Baby" went viral on social media platforms.

Infobox

Born
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero(1937-12-12)December 12, 1937Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died
July 16, 2025(2025-07-16) (aged 87)Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupations
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Years active
1957–2018
Spouses
mw- Dick Kanellis (m. 1964; div. 1964) Izzy Marion (m. 1971; div. 1971) Joe Garzilli (m. 1973; div. 1980) Bob Parkinson (m. 1985; div. 1985)
Partner
Tony Ferretti (2003–2022; his death)
Children
1
Genres
Traditional poprock and rollcountry popvocal jazz
Instruments
Vocalsaccordion
Labels
MGMPolydorGSF RecordsIvanhoe RecordsUnited ArtistsMalacoHerzklangLegacy RecordingsCarlton MusicConcetta Records
Website
www.conniefrancis.com

Tables

· Work › Filmography
Film title
Year
Role
Co-actors
Director
Producer
Notes
Ref.
Rock, Rock, Rock!
1956
Dori Graham(Singing voice only)
Tuesday Weld, Valerie Harper, Chuck Berry, Lavern Baker
Will Price
Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky
Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Tuesday Weld as "Dori Graham"
Jamboree
1957
Honey Winn(Singing voice only)
Freda Holloway, Paul Carr, Dick Clark
Roy Lockwood
Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky
Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Freda Holloway as Honey Winn
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
1958
Miss Kate(Singing voice only)
Jayne Mansfield, Kenneth More, Bruce Cabot, Sid James
Raoul Walsh
David M. Angel
Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Jayne Mansfield as Miss Kate
Where the Boys Are
1960
Angie
Paula Prentiss, Yvette Mimieux, Dolores Hart, George Hamilton, Jim Hutton
Henry Levin
Joe Pasternak
Follow the Boys
1963
Bonnie Pulaski
Paula Prentiss, Janis Paige, Russ Tamblyn
Richard Thorpe
Lawrence P. Bachmann
-
Looking for Love
1964
Libby Caruso
Jim Hutton, Joby Baker, Susan Oliver
Don Weis
Joe Pasternak
When the Boys Meet the Girls
1965
Ginger Gray
Harve Presnell, Louis Armstrong, Herman's Hermits, Liberace
Alvin Ganzer
Sam Katzman
-
· Work › Television
Film title
Year
Role
Co-actors
Director
Producer
Ref.
"The Sister and the Savage"(episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre)
1966
Sister Mary Clare
James Farentino, Steve Carlson
Gerald Mayer
unknown
· Work › Bibliography
For Every Young Heart
For Every Young Heart
Book title
For Every Young Heart
Publishing year
1963
Publisher
Prentice Hall
ISBN
None
Who's Sorry Now?
Who's Sorry Now?
Book title
Who's Sorry Now?
Publishing year
1984
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
ISBN
mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- } }0-312-87088-4
Among My Souvenirs
Among My Souvenirs
Book title
Among My Souvenirs
Publishing year
2017
Publisher
Concetta Literary Corporation / Baker & Taylor Publisher Services
ISBN
978-0999238905 (paperback)978-0999238912 (hardcover)
Book title
Publishing year
Publisher
ISBN
For Every Young Heart
1963
Prentice Hall
None
Who's Sorry Now?
1984
St. Martin's Press
mw- body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw- .mw- .mw- .mw- } }0-312-87088-4
Among My Souvenirs
2017
Concetta Literary Corporation / Baker & Taylor Publisher Services
978-0999238905 (paperback)978-0999238912 (hardcover)
· Recognition
1969
Awit Awards
Role(s)
Female Recording Artist of the Year (Foreign Division)
Notes
—
2009
Italian Walk of Fame
Role(s)
Celebrity Inductee
Notes
—
Year
Award giving body
Category
Nominated work
Results
1969
Awit Awards
Female Recording Artist of the Year (Foreign Division)
—
Won
2009
Italian Walk of Fame
Celebrity Inductee
—
Won

References

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