Singer-actor who hit stardom with ‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance’
NEW YORK — Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance ... What a Feeling” from 1983’s “Flashdance,” died Friday. She was 63.
Her publicist, Judith A. Moose, announced the news on social media, writing that a cause of death was “currently unknown.” Ms. Moose also confirmed the death to an Associated Press reporter on Saturday. Ms. Cara died at her home in Florida.
“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief,” Ms. Moose wrote. “She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”
During her career, Ms. Cara had three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Breakdance,” “Fame” and
“Flashdance ... What A Feeling,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. She was behind some of the most joyful, high-energy pop anthems of the early ’80s.
Tributes poured in on Saturday on social media, including from Deborah Cox, who called Ms. Cara an inspiration, and Holly Robinson Peete, who recalled seeing Ms. Cara perform: “The insane combination of talent and beauty was overwhelming to me. This hurts my heart so much.”
Ms. Cara was born Irene Escalera on March 18, 1959, in the New York City borough of the Bronx. She repeatedly disputed reports about her birth year, at times describing it as in 1964. Her official Twitter account says she was born in 1962. Her mother told The New York Times in 1970 that Ms. Cara, already a busy performer, was 11 years old.
Her mother, Louise Escalera, was a cashier and her father, Gaspar Escalera, was a musician and worked at a steel factory. Details on Ms. Cara’s survivors were not immediately available.
She first came to prominence among the young actors playing performing arts high schoolers in Alan Parker’s “Fame,” with costars Debbie Allen, Paul McCrane and Anne Meara. Ms. Cara played Coco Hernandez, a striving dancer who endures all manner of deprivations, including a creepy nude photo shoot.
“How bright our spirits go shooting out into space, depends on how much we contributed to the earthly brilliance of this world. And I mean to be a major contributor!” she says in the movie.
Ms. Cara sang on the soaring title song with the chorus — “Remember my name/I’m gonna live forever/ gonna learn how to fly/I feel it coming together/ People will see me and cry” — which would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award for best original song. She also sang on “Out Here on My Own,” “Hot Lunch Jam” and “I Sing the Body Electric.”
Ms. Allen took to Twitter on Saturday to mourn, posting pictures of them together and calling Ms. Cara “a gifted and beautiful genius. Her talent and her music will live forever! Forever remember her name!”
Three years later, she and the songwriting team of “Flashdance” — music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Ms. Cara — was accepting the Oscar for best original song for “Flashdance ... What a Feeling.”
During the opening credits of “Flashdance,” 18-yearold Alexandra ‘Alex’ Owens, played by Jennifer Beals, rides her bicycle through Pittsburgh on her way to work as a welder at one of the city’s steel mills. Owens dances in a bar at night while pursuing her goal of attending a prestigious dance conservatory.
The film also included the hit song “Maniac,” featuring Ms. Beals’ character leaping, spinning and stomping her feet, and the slow-burning theme song.
“There aren’t enough words to express my love and my gratitude,” Ms. Cara told the Oscar crowd in her thanks. “And last but not least, a very special gentlemen who I guess started it all for me many years ago. To Alan Parker, wherever you may be tonight, I thank him.”
The New York-born Ms. Cara began her career on Broadway, with small parts in short-lived shows, although a musical called “The Me Nobody Knows” ran over 300 performances. She toured in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” as Mary Magdalene in the mid1990s and a tour of the musical ”Flashdance” toured 2012-14 with her songs.
She also created the all-female band Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel and put out a double CD with the single “How Can I Make You Luv Me.” Her movie credits include ”Sparkle” and “D.C. Cab.”
In recent years, she shared songs from her catalog, including some that had not been released, on her podcast, “The Back Story.”
In an episode from July 2019, she spoke about her ballad “As Long as It Lasts,” saying it had similar qualities to “Out Here on My Own” and explaining why she connected to both songs.
“Very naked, just vocal and piano and a great lyric and a great story within the lyric, those are the kinds of songs I relate to as a songwriter,” Ms. Cara said.