‘Fame’ & ‘Flashdance’ Singer & Actress Passes Away at 63

The legendary Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy-winning singer, actress and dancer Irene Cara, who starred in and sang the title song from the 1980 hit movie Fame and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from the 1983 hit movie Flashdance, has passed away. She was 63.

Her publicist, Judith Moose, is the one who announced the news on Cara’s social media account on Saturday. She said a cause of death was “currently unknown.”

“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief,” Moose wrote. “She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”

“This is the absolute worst part of being a publicist,” Moose prefaced her post. “I can’t believe I’ve had to write this, let alone release the news. Please share your thoughts and memories of Irene. I’ll be reading each and every one of them and know she’ll be smiling from Heaven. She adored her fans.”

Born into a working-class Puerto Rican and Cuban family in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, Cara has been a triple-threat veteran entertainer since she first dazzled audiences at the tender age of five.

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One of her earliest TV credits is from multiple episodes of the popular 1970s children’s show The Electric Company. The youngest daughter of a Latin musician, she began her career singing and dancing on Spanish television performing with her fathers’ mambo band.

She went on to be a prominent actress with leading roles in theatre, television and films. Although, as a teenager, she worked as a background vocalist for many famous recording stars, it was during her breakout role in the acclaimed 1980 musical “Fame” that she was signed to be a recording artist in her own right.

Then came the 1983 acclaimed musical film “Flashdance” which became her biggest hit and which garnered her an Academy Award for best original song. This was a pivotal moment in Oscar history being that Miss Cara was the first African American female to win the coveted award since Hattie McDaniel (“Gone With The Wind – 1939”), the first Hispanic female since Rita Moreno (“West Side Story” – 1961) and the first bi-racial female ever to win in any category predating Halle Berry by nearly twenty years.

Ms.Cara is one of the most awarded artist of her generation, winning Grammies both as a vocalist and a songwriter. She won a Golden Globe award as well as a nomination for best supporting actress, a Peoples Choice award, an Obie award as a child for her work in theatre, an Image award as well as countless other industry honors for outstanding actress, singer and composer.

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Cara influenced a future generation of artists.

Rocker and actor Lenny Kravitz wrote, “Irene Cara, you inspired me more than you could ever know. Your songwriting and vocals created pure energy that will never cease.”

Broadway conductor and radio host Seth Rudetsky says watching Cara on screen as a kid helped shape his career ambitions.

“Irene Cara represented making it in the arts and gave us so much excitement and hope and enthusiasm to pursue the arts,” he said.