Singer Connie Francis dies at 87. See how a new generation grew to love her
Connie Francis, a well-known singer and actress, died at age 87 after witnessing a new generation fall in love with her music.
The pop vocalist was known for her 1958 hits like “Stupid Cupid” and “Who’s Sorry Now.” Her cause of death has not been revealed.
But another one of her songs, “Pretty Little Baby,” recorded in 1962, took TikTok by storm, creating a viral trend among the younger generation.
The song flooded the app, creating a viral sound where users would post covers, overlay the song with cute videos, or even use it as background music for something as simple as showing off their outfits.
User @Annefrankhjernoe took to the app to show her “slightly exaggerated version of this pretty little song.”
The TikToker’s video, which has been seen over 15.5 million times as of July 17, showed her putting her own spin on Francis’ song with rifts throughout the tune.
User @Sri took to the app to share a cover of Francis’ song, “Pretty Little Baby,” accompanied by her own added rifts inspired by @Annefrankhjernoe’s video. @Sri’s video been seen over 5.4 million times as of July 17.
Other users took a simpler approach, like that of @Thebullyquad, who used the song to show off their Staffordshire bull terrier waiting for some much-needed cuddles.
Some users like @Xsb3l took the lyrics literally and showed off an actual “pretty little baby.”
Some even participated in a spin-off of the trending song, like user @Baileytherottiexo, who posted a video changing the lyrics to “Stinky little baby, you need a shower.”
Francis, born with the name Concetta Franconero, was introduced to music at age 3 when her father, a dockworker and roofer who loved to play the concertina, put an accordion in her hands.
She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and signed in 1955 to MGM Records, where she recorded 10 singles that all were unsuccessful, until her song “Who’s Sorry Now” sold a million copies six months after being shown on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” in 1958.
Francis was also the first woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts with her record “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.
She deemed herself “clearly out of touch” when it came to TikTok, where she shared how grateful she was for her newfound love from the newer generation.
Francis revealed how “astounded” she was by the newfound popularity of the song.
Francis, wearing a necklace, full makeup and her hair freshly done, thanked a variety of celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, for participating in the trend.
TikTokers, despite their sadness upon hearing the news, went to the comments of her videos to share how happy they are with the resurgence of Francis’ song.
“So glad she got to see her song go viral again after all those years - RIP Connie,” one person wrote.
“She died happy knowing that this generation likes her music. You will be missed. Thank you for the music,” another wrote.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Singer Connie Francis dies at 87. See how a new generation grew to love her."