Did Connie Francis suffer from mental health issues? "Pretty Little Baby" singer was committed to mental institutions 17 times, tried to kill herself

Singer Connie Francis, known for hits such as Stupid Cupid and Pretty Little Baby (which recently became a viral audio on TikTok), has reportedly passed away at the age of 87.

While her cause of death is unknown, she was hospitalized for "severe pain" two weeks before her death; however, she had added that she was "feeling much better" in a Facebook post on July 4.

On July 17, 2025, Ron Roberts, her friend and copyright manager, took to Facebook to announce her death, writing:

“It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night. I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.”

While Connie Francis enjoyed commercial success in the 1960s and 1970s, her music career dwindled after she hit a series of roadblocks in the late 1970s and early 1980s. .

According to Growing Boulder, the singer was reportedly r*ped in 1974 and lost her voice for seven years after a nasal surgery in 1977. In 1981, her brother was reportedly killed by the mafia outside his New Jersey home.

Additionally, Connie Francis's father involuntarily had her committed to various mental institutions 17 times between 1982 to 1991 in over five different states. In a 2011 interview with the Village Voice, the singer stated that she was misdiagnosed with manic-depressive disorder, bipolar, ADD, and ADHD, adding that she was later found to have post-traumatic stress disorder.

“To make a short story long, in the ’80s, I was involuntarily committed to mental institutions 17 times in nine years in five different states. I was misdiagnosed as bipolar, ADD, ADHD, and a few other letters the scientific community had never heard of. A few years later, I was discovered to have had post-traumatic stress disorder following a horrendous string of events in my life,” she said.

Connie Francis also survived a suicide attempt in 1984. She opened up about her mental health in her tell-all memoir, Who's Sorry Now?, released in 1984. Furthermore, she published her second memoir, Among My Souvenirs: The Real Story, Vol. 1, in 2017.

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connie was a survivor of s*xual assault, faced misdiagnosis and institutionalization 17 times. after finding correct treatment, she dedicated her life to helping protect other victims. her story is more than just one song but i'm glad she left knowing she was loved :)

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Connie Francis became a national spokesperson for Mental Health America

Following her s*xual assault in 1981, Connie Francis partnered with Ronald Reagan's presidential administration to combat violent crime through a task force. She also became an advocate for r*pe victims.

In 2010, Connie Francis became a national spokesperson for Mental Health America. In her statement at the time, the singer and actress said the campaign aimed to help the people affected by violent crime, r*pe, PTSD, grief, abuse, and much more, adding:

“This campaign will address itself to the millions of people in America who are currently suffering from the deleterious effects of depression and trauma of all kinds whether it be the trauma experienced by victims of violent crime, r*pe, domestic abuse, loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of finances or a job, and significantly in the largely-unattended area of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experienced by our returning veterans of our two wars."

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This is devastating💔

Connie Francis was a survivor. She survived suicide, assault and mental health struggles, becoming an advocate for mental health and using her platform to speak out for victims.

She'll never be forgotten. Thank you for everything you gave the world. RIP❤️

In addition to her mental struggles, Connie Francis' personal life was also full of challenges. Her relationship with fellow singer Bobby Darin was frowned upon by her father, causing them to call it quits. She also had four failed marriages and a miscarriage between 1964 and 1985. Francis has one son, whom she adopted with her third husband, Joseph Garzilli, in 1974.

In a January 2018 interview with The Oklahoman, Connie Francis revealed that she tried to "see the humor" in various situations despite her struggles, saying:

“I tried to see humor in everything, even when I was in a mental institution. But I have to say the support of the public has also been incredibly uplifting. They saw me through the best and worst of times and never stopped writing from around the world to encourage me.”

In a May 2025 interview with Growing Boulder, Francis revealed that she would re-live her life the same way, with the exception of her brother's murder, saying, "Although there were some terrible lows, there were exhilarating highs."

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Following the sudden resurgence of Pretty Little Baby on TikTok in May 2025, Connie Francis took to Facebook to pen a note of thanks for the song's revival. In her post, the singer added that she had no idea what a "viral hit" meant, writing:

“My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 196[2] recording ‘Pretty Little Baby’. The first I learned of it was when [a friend] called to advise me that I had ‘a viral hit.’ Clearly out of touch with present day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What’s that?’ Thank you everyone!”

Pretty Little Baby was part of Francis's album Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love & Other Hits, which she released in 1962 when she was 23.