The Oscar-winning star of Fame and the number-one performer of “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” IRENE CARA, passed away at the age of 63.
Cara passed away on Friday at her home in Florida, according to her publicist Judith A. Moore’s Twitter post. Her death’s “currently unknown and will be made public as soon as information is available” cause.
“I announce Irene Cara’s loss on behalf of her family with the utmost grief. In her Florida home, the Academy Award-winning actress, singer, composer, and producer died away, Moore tweeted. She was a stunningly talented person whose films and songs will live on forever.
The Bronx-native Prior to performing in Broadway musicals including Via Galactica, The Wiz, and the Supremes-inspired Sparkle, which was adapted for the big film in 1976 with Cara in the main role, the young actor Cara first appeared on programs like The Electric Factory.
Cara’s breakthrough came with the 1980 blockbuster Fame, in which she starred as Coco Hernandez in a role that had been especially crafted for her. Cara sung the soundtrack’s title tune “Fame” and “Out Here on My Own,” both of which were nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. The movie is about gifted pupils at a performing arts high school in New York City. As is customary at the Oscars, Cara sang both songs at the event as Fame made history by receiving two nods in that category. The winner of the Academy Award was “Fame.”
The popularity of Fame also spilled over into the music business, as Cara received Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance despite never having released her own album. Anyone Can See, Cara’s first album, was released in 1982.
The song from the hugely successful 1983 movie Flashdance, “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” became Cara’s greatest hit the following year. Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey co-wrote the song, which spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, helping the soundtrack also reach the top spot. The song also helped Cara win a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and her second Best Original Song Oscar.
