Connie Francis, ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer, dies at 87

She’s estimated to have sold over 200 million records worldwide in her lifetime.

Connie Francis, ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer, dies at 87

Connie Francis, ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer, dies at 87Singer Connie Francis, best known for her 1962 hit “Pretty Little Baby” and the 1961 song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” has died at the age of 87, her manager confirmed.

Singer Connie Francis, best known for her 1962 song “Pretty Little Baby” and hits like “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” has died at the age of 87, her manager confirmed.

“It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” said her copyrights and royalties manager, Ron Roberts, in a post on social media. “I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.”

“Pretty Little Baby” most recently became a viral song on TikTok, which Francis joined shortly after, and the song has been used in more than 17 million videos totaling more than 27 billion views globally on the app.

“I’m flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is making all over the world,” Francis said. “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations of audiences is truly overwhelming for me.”

“Pretty Little Baby” was included on Francis’ 1962 album, “Connie Francis Sings ‘Second Hand Love’ & Other Hits,” which charted on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The singles “Together” and “Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You” both peaked at no. 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

In May of this year, “Pretty Little Baby” broke into Spotify’s Global and U.S. charts for the first time.

Francis was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newark, New Jersey on Dec. 12, 1937, and is estimated is to have sold more than 200 million records worldwide in her lifetime.

She started singing on TV programs when she was a child. Her first hit, “Who’s Sorry Now,” debuted in 1958. In 1960, Francis was only 21 when she became the first female artist to get a Billboard Hot 100 No 1 hit, with her song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.”

Francis went on to have 53 hits on the Billboard charts over the course of her decades-long career.

In 1964, she was awarded a special Golden Globe for her contributions to the recording world.

In 2001, “Who’s Sorry Now” was named one of the Songs of the Century in a list compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.