Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Irene Cara, the Oscar-winning singer of the title tracks to “Fame” and “Flashdance,” has died at age 63, her publicist announced late Friday.
Cara died in her Florida home of an undisclosed cause.
Cara was trained in music, dance and acting as a child and appeared on stage and on television, including appearances on PBS and on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show,” at a young age in the 1970s.
When she landed the role in the 1980 musical “Fame”, everyone soon knew her name. She was initially cast as a dancer but then had the role of Coco Hernandez written for her and she sang the title track.
She was nominated for two Grammys after “Fame,” for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Artist.
During 2020, Cara launched a podcast series called The BackStory, going in to details about the origins of all her songs.
