Irene Cara, star of the 1976 movie Sparkle and Oscar-winning singer of ‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance’ title tracks, dies at the age of 63.
“She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films,” her publicist Judith A. Moose said in a statement.
Irene Cara’s first movie was Sparkle, in 1976. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle centered on three singing teenage sisters who form a girl group in the late 1950s.
Cara rose to mainstream fame when she was cast in the 1980 musical Fame, which she sang the title track for and starred in as Coco Hernandez.
Her performance in Fame earned her two Grammy nominations for best new artist and best pop vocal performance, female, at the 23rd annual Grammy Awards in 1981.
Cara later sang and co-wrote “Flashdance… What A Feeling” for the soundtrack of the 1983 blockbuster Flashdance, with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey.
“Flashdance… What A Feeling” earned the star two wins at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984 — best pop vocal performance, female, and best album of original score written for a motion picture or a television special — and an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1983 Oscars.