Connie’s song Pretty Little Baby has seen a whole new generation recently thanks to TikTok
11:07, 17 Jul 2025Updated 11:09, 17 Jul 2025
Connie Francis has died aged 87(Image: Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Tributes have been paid to legendary singer Connie Francis who has died aged 87. The country and pop star, originally from New Jersey, USA, first began topping the charts back in the late 1950s.
By 1960, Connie was named the first woman in history to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” More recently, Connie welcomed a whole new generation of fans thanks to TikTok, as her 1962 track Pretty Little Baby proved a hit on social media with influencers lip syncing to the lyrics.
Earlier today, July 17, Connie’s friend Ron Roberts confirmed the sad news of the hitmaker and actresses death, The Mirror reports. In a statement, he said: “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that i inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night.
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“I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.” Earlier this month, Connie was hospitalised and admitted into the intensive care unit and was forced to pull out of her planned July 4 Independence Day show.
Radio star Cousin Brucie revealed Connie had been experiencing “extreme pain” in her pelvic and needed to use a wheelchair. Connie provided a health update just a couple weeks ago as she thanked her fans for their prayers and well wishes.
Singer Connie Francis in 1962(Image: Photo by George Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
She wrote: “Today I am feeling much better after a good night, and wanted to take this opportunity of wishing you all a happy Fourth of July.” Connie was also aware of the recent success of Pretty Little Baby which went viral over 60 years on from its release, admitting she was “thrilled and overwhelmed” by the new love it was receiving.
Pretty Little Baby has been streamed more than 74.8 million times on Spotify. Connie even confessed to forgetting about the hit song before it’s resurgance. She told People: “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even remember the song.
“I had to listen to it to remember. To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome.
“It is an amazing feeling.” Tributes from across the world have poured in for Connie following her death.
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One fan said: “RIP Connie, thank you for all your beautiful songs and movies.” Another added: “Very sad news. An amazingly talented and lovely lady.”
Someone else commented: “I’m so sorry to hear this.” A fourth wrote: “May she rest in peace. She will always be in our hearts because of her music.”
Connie’s success came in the 1950s and 1960s with her hits Stupid Cupid, Lipstick on Your Collar, Who’s Sorry Now, and Where the Boys Are. Who’s Sorry Now went to number one in the UK in 1958 and stayed their for six weeks.
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Away from the stage, Connie shared how she was misdiagnosed with bipolar, ADHD, as well as attention-deficit disorder. Throughout her life, Connie married four times.
She married press agent Dick Kanellis in 194 and in 1971 she wed hair-salon owner Izzy Marion but they split 10 months later. In 1973 she married restauranteur Joseph Garzili and they adopted a baby boy named Joey.
However, Connie and Joseph split in 1977 and she went on to wed TV producer Bob Parkinson in 1985 but they divorced the same year. She went on to have a long-term relationship with Tony Ferretti from 2003 until his death in 2022.