Irene Cara, Oscar-Winning Singer and Actress, Dies at 63
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Irene Cara, the actress and pop star who won an Oscar and a Grammy for the hit “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from Flashdance and created her own memorable screen moments with films such as Sparkle and Fame, has died, according to her rep. She was 63.
Cara died in her Florida home, according to Judith Moose, who posted the news on Twitter on Friday night. Moose told The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday that a cause of death has not yet been determined.
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“It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara,” Moose wrote in the statement. “Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”
Cara was the unusual performer who was able to attain chart-topping pop success while also shining as an actress. She won her Oscar for the 1983 hit “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” which additionally won her the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance, and she sang the title track for the seminal 1980 movie Fame.
She also starred in Fame, the dramatic musical that chronicled the struggles of high school students in a performing arts school. Cara, who played Coco Hernandez, sang the title track and “Out Here on My Own,” which both became hit singles and were nominated for the Oscar for best original song, with “Fame” winning. The songs’ success led to Cara getting nominated in 1980 for the Grammys for best new artist and best female pop vocal performance.
One of her best-known roles was in the 1976 movie Sparkle, about three singing sisters whose family ties are ruptured as they pursue fame. A 2012 film remake starred Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston, marking the latter performer’s final big-screen role before her death that year.
Born in New York City on March 18, 1959, Cara began singing and dancing at a young age and made early appearances on programs including Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. In the 1970s, she was a regular on PBS’ The Electric Company and was a member of the show’s band. She also had roles in Broadway productions including The Me Nobody Knows in 1970 and Via Galactica in 1972 opposite Raul Julia.
Cara went on to appear on the CBS daytime soap Love of Life, where she originated the role of Daisy Allen. She followed this with the films Aaron Loves Angela (1975) and Sparkle (1976), along with roles in the television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980).
Following her breakout in Fame, Cara continued her stage work, including performing as Dorothy in a touring version of The Wiz in 1980. In 1993, she starred in a touring version of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Cara earned an NAACP Image Award for best actress for her performance in NBC’s 1982 television movie Sister, Sister, written by Maya Angelou and also starring Diahann Carroll and Rosalind Cash.
The 1983 soundtrack album for Flashdance, featuring Cara’s lead single, was a smash success, spending two weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart and going six-times platinum. It won three Grammys, one of which was best soundtrack album for a film or TV special, which went to all credited songwriters including Cara.
“Thank you brilliant Irene for your open heart and your fearless triple threat talent,” Flashdance star Jennifer Beals posted to Instagram on Saturday, along with a photo of the two of them at the 1984 Academy Awards ceremony. “It took a beautiful dreamer to write and perform the soundtracks for those who dare to dream.”
Other prominent credits included City Heat (1984) opposite Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, Certain Fury (1985) with Tatum O’Neal and voicing Snow White in the animated feature Happily Ever After (1989).
Cara released several albums of her own, notably 1983’s What a Feelin’, which featured the hits “Why Me?” “The Dream (Hold on to Your Dream)” and “Breakdance.”
In 2018, she told Songwriter Universe that it meant a lot that her now-late parents were able to be part of her success. “I’m just happy that I was able to fulfill their dreams for me before they passed away,” Cara said at the time. “I wasn’t a child who decided, ‘I want to be in showbiz.’ This was something that was laid out for me by my parents. This was their dream for me, and I fulfilled it. So I’m happy about that.”
A life celebration for Cara will take place at 7:30 p.m. on June 5 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The event is limited to invitation and ticket holders only; information for fans will be released April 10. Members of the entertainment community wishing to attend, speak or perform one of her songs should email memorial@outhereonmyown.org.
March 19: Added life celebration details.
