Best known for her hits ‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance…What a Feeling’, award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Irene Cara has died at the age of 63.
It was his publicist, Judith M. Moose, who announced the disappearance of the star this Saturday on Twitter: “It is with deep sadness that on behalf of his family, I announce the passing ofIrene Cara. The Academy Award-winning actress, singer, songwriter and producer died at her home in Florida. His cause of death is currently unknown and will be released when information becomes available.”
“This is absolutely the worst part of being a publicist. I can’t believe I had to write this, let alone post the news. Please share your thoughts and memories of Irene. I will read each one of them and I know she will smile from heaven. She adored her fans.”
“Remember my name, I’m gonna live forever, I’m gonna learn how to fly” (“Remember my name, I’ll live forever, I’ll learn to fly”), sang Irene Cara Escalera, her full name, in 1980.
Born on March 18, 1959, it was her role as Coco Hernandez in Alan Parker’s Fame (1980) that made her famous. She is also the one who sings the main song of the film, which will be her first single. The title ‘Fame’ will then earn him the Oscar and the Golden Globe for best original song in 1981, as well as a Grammy nomination.
But before this real triumph, the young actress had already burst the screen by interpreting the main character of Sparkle Williams in the 1976 musical drama film, Sparkle.
Warner Bros.
Irene Cara and Philip Michael Thomas in “Sparkle”
The young woman will find success again with another legendary cinema tune, ‘Flashdance… What a Feeling’, which she co-wrote and performed. Taken from the film Flashdance (1983) by Adrian Lyne, the title will allow him to win again the Oscar and the Golden Globe for the best original song, and this time, the Grammy Award for the best female pop vocal performance in 1984.
At the time, the film’s unexpected success at the box office had indeed resulted in the meteoric sale of the single and its album across the United States only a few days after its release. The flagship song had spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, dominating the charts around the world at the same time, before receiving the gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, granted for all sales of titles to a million copies.
In the statement of his publicist we can also read: “Irene’s family have asked for confidentiality as she deals with her grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live on forever through her music and films. The funeral is pending and a memorial for his fans will be scheduled at a later date.”