Irene Cara has passed away at age 63. The Fame and Flashdance singer was found dead at her home in Florida on 25 November 2022.
Singer, actress and activist Cara was in the spotlight from a young age, and this followed through to her big break through in 1980s film Fame, alongside co-writing and singing the iconic hit Flashdance…What a Feeling from the movie Flashdance.
Her publicist Judith Moose announced the death on Twitter, stating that she had been found in her home in Florida.
“The Academy Award winning actress, singer, songwriter and producer passed away in her Florida home. Her cause of death is currently unknown and will be released when information is available,” said Moose in her Tweet.
Born in 1959, New-York based Cara was the youngest of five children.
She was born to a Puerto Rican father and a Cuban American mother.
Irene Cara’s career
Her career started out with acting in Spanish language TV Shows, which then lead to her featuring in several Off-Broadway Musicals and eventually to her role of Coco Hernandez in Fame.
She collected many awards including A Best Actress Nomination at the 1981 Golden Globe Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984, amongst many others.
Cara, as a black artist in the 1980s, fought back against her record label Al Coury in 1985. She claimed they took advantage of her trust with unjust and oppressive contracts for movie and recording deals that cut her out of significant income. Although she won the case, it had a serious effect on her career and connections within the industry.
Several tributes have gone out for Cara over the days since her death, including co-star Jennifer Beals. Her Instagram caption read: “Thank you brilliant Irene for your open heart and your fearless triple threat talent.”
Moose pushed for people to share thoughts and memories of Cara as she adored her fans.
