Singer Connie Francis auctions life’s treasures

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Connie Francis’ decades-long career was marked by all the glittering things of Hollywood royalty. There were No. 1 hit songs, iconic movies, Hollywood boyfriends, glamorous gowns and TV appearances on “American Bandstand” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Despite it all, she considers her personal life a bust.

“For as much success as I had professionally, personally I’m a failure,” said Francis.

When pressed if that’s what she really believes during a telephone interview, the 79-year-old singer says, “yeah I do. My choice of husbands, my lack of judgment in choosing the right husbands … my impulsiveness, my not looking before I leapt. So many mistakes that I would have avoided.”

Francis is auctioning some of her favorite trinkets at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills on Sunday, including the bomber jacket she wore performing in Vietnam, a love letter from singer Bobby Darin where he laments he’s “unhappy & miserable without you” and a 13-carat emerald ring with diamonds. She’s also auctioning several letters from her famous friends, including Frankie Avalon, Dick Clark and Frank Sinatra.

“There was a girl once who told me she had saved a Styrofoam cup with my lipstick on it from 1958 … so I said to myself I want to give something to my fans while I’m still alive, not when I’ve passed,” Francis told The Associated Press.

Francis gained fame in the 1950s, earning more than $6 million by the end of 1958 after singing “Who’s Sorry Now” on “American Bandstand” earlier that year. In 1960, her recording of “Where the Boys Are” became the top song in the United States and 15 other countries. But her life has also been marred by tragedies, four failed marriages, an estranged son, her brother’s murder and a brutal rape after someone broke into the motel where she was sleeping following a performance.