Who was Connie Francis? "Pretty Little Baby" singer dies at 87, weeks after being hospitalized for "extreme pain"

Connie Francis, the singer of the trending TikTok audio Pretty Little Baby, reportedly died at 87, weeks after being hospitalized for "extreme pain." While Francis retired from the music industry in 2018, her song Pretty Little Baby, released in 1962, saw a resurgence on social media, becoming one of the most popular tracks used by content creators on TikTok.

The news of Connie Francis's death was confirmed via a Facebook post from Ron Roberts, her friend and copyright manager. On July 17, 2025, Roberts took to Facebook to write:

"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. More details will follow later."

News of Francis' death came after she recently began experiencing severe pain. On July 2, radio personality Cousin Brucie announced the news of her hospitalization on Facebook. Following this, the singer updated her fans about her health condition via Brucie's Facebook page, writing:

“Hello Everyone — As many of you may now have learned through Cousin Brucie’s Facebook page, I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing. I had hoped to take part in Brucie’s show for Independence Day, having had to cancel a previous slot a few weeks ago when receiving treatment on my hip. Sadly, I had to let him know that I again had to withdraw.”

In a follow-up post, she added that she had been shifted from intensive care to a private room after a series of tests and examinations, as reported by The New York Post. In another update on July 4, she added that she was "feeling much better after a good night."

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Connie Francis was 23 when she released Pretty Little Baby

Connie Francis (real name Concetta Franconero) was born in New Jersey in 1937. According to People Magazine, she took an interest in pageants at the age of 4 and became a performer at NBC's Startime Kids. She landed a recording deal with MGM Records in 1955; however, her earlier songs did not achieve commercial success.

In a 1996 interview with UPI, she explained that her father encouraged her not to give up and try one more time. She then recorded and released Who's Sorry Now, which also underperformed till Dick Clark debuted it on American Bandstand in 1958.

“I had 18 bomb records. He wanted me to record a song written in 1923. I said 'Forget about it — the kids on American Bandstand would laugh me right off the show.' He said, 'If you don't record this song, dummy, the only way you'll get on American Bandstand is to sit on the TV," Francis said.

Connie Francis went on to release several hits, including Lipstick on Your Collar and My Souvenir. She also released songs in over 10 languages, making her a global artist. Following the release of Everybody's Somebody's Fool, Francis became the "first solo female artist" to top the Billboard Hot 100. Francis released Pretty Little Baby in 1962, when she was 23 years old.

In a May 2025 interview with People Magazine, Connie Francis expressed her amazement at the song becoming popular on TikTok, adding that she had completely forgotten about the track before its massive social media success.

“To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember the song!. I had to listen to it to remember. To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling,” she said.

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Connie Francis was married four times

Connie Francis' commercial success reportedly died down in the late 1960s, and in the following decade, the singer faced several challenges. In 1974, she was reportedly raped in a Long Island motel room, as per The Hollywood Reporter. In 1977, she underwent nasal surgery and temporarily lost her voice. In 1981, she suffered a personal loss after her brother was killed by the mafia.

The singer also had a string of mental health complications and was hospitalized at various psychiatric institutions. She also reportedly tried to take her own life in 1984. In a 2011 interview with the Village Voice, she spoke about her mental health issues, adding:

“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.”

On a personal front, Connie Francis has been married and divorced four times, and has one child. Connie Francis's relationship with fellow singer Bobby Darin, whom she called the "love of her life," was disapproved of by her father, leading to their split. According to People Magazine, her first marriage to Dick Kanellis in 1964 lasted five months, and her second marriage to Izzy Marion in 1971 lasted 10 months.

In 1973, she married Joseph Garzilli. The couple adopted their only child, a son named Joseph Garzilli Jr., the following year. They divorced in 1977, and in 1985, she married Bob Parkinson. However, they also split a few months later.

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In addition to her music career, Connie Francis has also penned two memoirs: Who's Sorry Now, published in 1984, and Among My Souvenirs, published in 2017.

Connie Francis had been living in South Florida following her retirement in 2018.