Oscar-winning 'Flashdance' singer and actor Irene Cara passes away at 63
Nov 26, 2022
Washington [US], November 26 : Oscar-winning singer and actor Irene Cara, who rocketed to pop stardom singing the title tracks to 'Fame' and 'Flashdance,' passed away at the age of 63.
Her publicist, Judith A. Moose, announced the news on social media, saying that the cause of death is "currently unknown."
"Irene's family has requested privacy as they process their grief," Moose wrote in a statement, adding, "She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films."
https://twitter.com/Irene_Cara/status/1596392865948499968
According to a report by US-based entertainment portal Variety, Cara first gained notoriety as Coco Hernandez as a High School of Performing Arts (now Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School) student with aspirations of becoming a famous actress.
Cara not only performed in the movie, but also sang 'Fame,' the film's soundtrack. That song and 'Out Here on My Own,' another Cara-sung number from 'Fame,' would later be nominated for an Academy Award for best Oiginal Song'.
Despite director Alan Parker's initial scepticism, they were successful because composer Michael Gore called him shortly after working with Cara in the studio to inform him that they had a vocal powerhouse on their hands.
Since Cara had performed on stage and on television since she was a young girl, many similarities between her and her character influenced her acting.
With 'Flashdance... What a Feeling,' a contagious song of empowerment that she co-wrote and sang, Cara would go on to score an even bigger hit.
The romantic drama from 1983 about a dancer who aspires to be a ballerina found huge commercial success.
The film won an Academy Award for 'Best Original Song' and a Grammy award for 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
The number gained fresh popularity after she re-recorded the song with DJ BoBo for 1997's 'The Full Monty',
Also among Cara's films are 'City Heat' with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood; 'Certain Fury' with Tatum O'Neal, and 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in the 1990s.
She was married to stuntman and director Conrad Palmisano from 1986 to 1991.
