Irene Cara, known particularly for her musical contributions to the phenomenally popular 1980s movies Fame and Flashdance, has died. She was 63.
According to her publicist, Judith Moose, she died in her home in Largo in Florida. The cause of death is at present not known.
Moose described her as ‘a beautiful gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.’
Cara was born in the Bronx in 1959. Her entertainment career touched theatre, film and television and of course music. Her signature role was in the musical Fame in 1980, where she was cast as Coco Hernandez and performed the title track, which was a hit in its own right.
Three years later, she performed the Flashdance… What a Feeling, the title song of the movie Flashdance. The song won Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
Cara married stuntman Conrad Palmisano in 1986, but they divorced five years later.