Connie Francis has passed away at the age of 87. A close friend of the American singer confirmed this on Facebook on Thursday. Francis was the first woman to score a number 1 hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100.
“It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I must inform you that my dear friend Connie Francis passed away last night,” Ron Roberts writes in his post, which was also shared on Francis’ official Facebook page. The singer was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago for an unknown reason.
Francis was one of the best-selling female singers of the late fifties and early sixties. She had hits with songs like Who’s Sorry Now, Lipstick On Your Collar, Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You and Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.
The singer gained fame among younger generations in recent years. This was because her song Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok more than sixty years after its original release. The song became a favorite among influencers and has now been streamed more than 84.8 million times on Spotify.