Connie Francis has passed away at 87.
She gave us “Who’s Sorry Now?,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” and “Where the Boys Are”—and along the way, she became the first woman to top the Billboard Hot 100, sell 200 million records, and sing her way into history in 15 languages.
Ron Roberts, her longtime friend and president of Concetta Records, shared the heartbreaking news with fans first—just the way Connie would have wanted it.
She was pop’s first queen. A voice like no other. And through every high and low, she kept singing.
Here are 87 facts to celebrate the life, the legacy, and the unforgettable voice of Connie Francis.
1. Connie Francis was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1937.
2. She sold more than 200 million records worldwide.
3. In 1960, she was the most successful female artist in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Italy, Japan, and Australia.
4. She became the first woman to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5. She was also the first woman to have three #1 singles on that chart.
6. Her grandfather immigrated from Reggio Calabria in 1905.
7. She grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and then Brooklyn before returning to New Jersey.
8. She learned fluent Yiddish from her mixed Italian-Jewish neighborhood.
9. She later recorded in Yiddish and Hebrew.
10. Her father encouraged her to sing at pageants, contests, and neighborhood events.
11. She played the accordion before happily giving it up.
12. Arthur Godfrey convinced her to change her name to Connie Francis.
13. She sang demonstration records to pitch songs to other singers.
14. She attended Arts High School in Newark and graduated salutatorian in Belleville.
15. She appeared on NBC’s Startime Kids between 1953 and 1955.
16. Her first single, “Freddy,” was released because an exec’s son shared the name.
17. Her first nine solo singles were commercial flops.
18. She provided the singing voices in two 1950s films—Rock, Rock, Rock! and Jamboree.
19. Her duet “The Majesty of Love” with Marvin Rainwater sold over a million copies.
20. MGM nearly dropped her, even after “The Majesty of Love.”
21. She nearly left music to study medicine at NYU.
22. Her dad insisted she record “Who’s Sorry Now?” during what was to be her final session.
23. She didn’t like the song but recorded it just before the tape ran out.
24. Dick Clark premiered it on American Bandstand on January 1, 1958.
25. She only realized it was her song mid-broadcast—and celebrated like it was New Year’s Eve.
26. “Who’s Sorry Now?” hit #1 in the U.K. and #4 in the U.S. by April 1958.
27. She was voted “Best Female Vocalist” on American Bandstand four years in a row.
28. Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield pitched her ballads—but she wanted something livelier.
29. She rejected their songs until Sedaka reluctantly played “Stupid Cupid.”
30. She immediately said, “That’s my next hit.”
31. “Stupid Cupid” reached #14 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K.
32. She earned two gold records in 1959 for “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Frankie.”
33. Her 1959 album Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites was recorded at Abbey Road.
34. That album stayed on the charts for 81 weeks and peaked at #4.
35. The single “Mama” hit #8 in the U.S. and #2 in the U.K.
36. She went on to release seven more “favorites” albums in various languages.
37. “Where the Boys Are” became her signature song and a movie theme.
38. The film introduced the concept of Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
39. She was one of the first American artists to regularly record in other languages.
40. She recorded in 15 languages total.
41. She also sang in Romanian live in 1970.
42. She learned foreign songs phonetically when needed.
43. She was fluent in Italian and Spanish.
44. “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” became the first Hot 100 #1 by a female artist.
45. Its German version, “Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel,” topped the West German chart.
46. She had two more #1 hits in West Germany: “Paradiso” and “Barcarole in der Nacht.”
47. Radio Luxembourg ended broadcasts with her song “It’s Time to Say Goodnight.”
48. She was named Europe’s most popular artist in 1960.
49. She was beloved even behind the Iron Curtain.
50. She was featured on state-owned labels in the USSR and Yugoslavia.
51. “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” was her third U.S. #1 hit.
52. She performed for U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1967.
53. She published For Every Young Heart, her first book, in 1963.
54. She performed for Queen Elizabeth II in Glasgow in 1963.
55. “Vacation” in 1962 was her final U.S. top 10 hit.
56. She found success on the Adult Contemporary and Country charts in the 1960s.
57. She competed at Sanremo in 1965 and again in 1967.
58. She recorded “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” as a response song in 1973.
59. In 1974, she survived a traumatic assault and won a major lawsuit.
60. Her case helped reform hotel security practices.
61. She recorded disco versions of her hits in 1978.
62. She released versions of those songs in Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
63. She lost her voice completely after nasal surgery.
64. She regained her voice in 1981 after several surgeries.
65. That same year, her brother George was murdered by Mafia hitmen.
66. She said his death gave her strength to move forward.
67. Her 1981 album I’m Me Again featured the AC charting title track.
68. She resumed touring and appeared on American Bandstand’s 30th Anniversary Special.
69. She was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADD in the 1980s.
70. She was hospitalized multiple times due to the wrong medications.
71. She later said her issues stemmed from PTSD related to her assault.
72. She attempted suicide in 1984.
73. Her 1984 memoir Who’s Sorry Now? became a New York Times bestseller.
74. In 1989, she released Where the Hits Are, re-recording 18 of her classics.
75. In 1992, her remix medley became a hit in Germany.
76. “Jive, Connie” earned her Germany’s “Best Comeback of the Year.”
77. She released a live album from Trump’s Castle in 1996.
78. She performed again in Las Vegas in 2004.
79. She sold out the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2007.
80. She performed in the Philippines on Valentine’s Day 2008.
81. She co-headlined with Dionne Warwick in Las Vegas in 2010.
82. She published her second memoir Among My Souvenirs in 2017.
83. She retired in 2018 and lived in Florida.
84. In 2025, her 1962 song “Pretty Little Baby” went viral on TikTok.
85. She hoped to attend a Cousin Brucie event in July 2025 but was hospitalized.
86. She passed away on July 16, 2025, at age 87.
87. She once said not marrying Bobby Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
Connie Francis wasn’t just a voice—she was a force. From heartbreak to hope, from pop charts to foreign languages, from tragedy to triumph—she sang through it all.
Thank you, Connie. We’ll never be sorry we loved you.