Top Journalists confirm actress and singer, Irene Cara, is dead.
“Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief,” the rep added. “She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films. Funeral services are pending and a memorial for her fans will be planned at a future date.”
In addition to singing the title sing for 1980’s Fame, Cara also starred in the film as Coco Hernandez.
“Flashdance… What a Feeling”, which Cara co-wrote with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey for 1983’s Flashdance, earned Cara an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1983.
“This is the absolute worst part of being a publicist,” her rep lamented on Twitter early Saturday before sharing the aforementioned statement. “I can’t believe I’ve had to write this, let alone release the news. Please share your thoughts and memories of Irene. I’ll be reading each and every one of them and know she’ll be smiling from Heaven. She adored her fans.”
The American singer and actress was best known for her title track in the 1980 film Fame, as well as co-writing and singing the smash hit Flashdance... What a Feeling, for which she won an Oscar and a Grammy.
She later starred in films opposite Clint Eastwood and Tatum O'Neal.
Cara's publicist, who announced her death, said she died at home in Florida but the cause is "currently unknown".
Born in 1959 in the Bronx, New York City, Cara was the youngest of five children and started her career on Spanish-language TV. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother, Cuban-American.
Having recorded music as a child, both in Spanish and English, she went on to appear in a number of on-and-off Broadway musicals.
But it was in 1980 that Cara shot to fame when she bagged the role of Coco Hernandez - and sung Fame's title track.
Her performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 1981 Golden Globe Awards.
Cara later co-wrote and sang the vocals for Flashdance… What A Feeling, from the 1983 blockbuster Flashdance, and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Flashdance went on to become the third-highest-grossing film of 1983.
Judith A Moose, Cara's publicist, praised her as a "beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films".
She also said Cara had been working on forthcoming projects when she died, which she and the singer's manager now plan to finish.
"She'd want that," Ms Moose said of her client via her official Twitter page.
Cara won an Oscar for the song Flashdance... What A Feeling from the 1980s hit movie Flashdance and has been an icon of her generation.
"It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara", said a statement on her website.
"She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films."
Born in 1962 in New York City, she first dazzled audiences when she was just five years old.
She began her career singing and dancing on Spanish television performing with her fathers' mambo band.
During her breakout role in the acclaimed 1980 musical Fame she was signed to be a recording artist in her own right and went on to score her biggest hit in the 1983 film Flashdance.
Her performance in Flashdance garnered her an Academy Award for best original song - the first African American woman to win the coveted award since Hattie McDaniel in the 1939 classic Gone With The Wind.
Cara became one of the most awarded artists of her generation, winning Grammies both as a vocalist and a songwriter.
She also appeared in films such as DC Cab and City Heat, as well as various television shows. She also performed in live theatre and musicals.
Born in the Bronx, Cara was a trained singer, actor and dancer who made many on stage and television appearances as a child, including on PBS and Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show.
The performer then rocketed to fame in 1980 playing Coco Hernandez in the hit musical Fame.
She received two Grammy nominations for the musical and won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Artist.
Cara went on to win a Grammy and an Oscar in 1984 with the title track to Flashdance, which starred Jennifer Beals.
The youngest of five children, Cara made her debut on stage at the young age of three, earning a spot as a finalist for the Little Miss America Pageant in 1962.
The daughter of a Puerto Rican and Cuban-American, Cara did a stint of appearances on Spanish-language TV shows before becoming a regular on PBS's educational program, The Electric Company.
Along with her television work, Cara performed on a slew of off-Broadway productions, and her first big role came as the titular Sparkle Williams in the 1976 musical drama film, Sparkle.
Prior to Fame, Cara also had a starring role in the 1979 sequel to the classic Roots TV miniseries.
Although her stardom peaked in the 1980s, Cara continued to perform throughout the decades, appearing in films such as D.C. Cab, City Heat and Downtown, A Street Tale.
Following confirmation of Cara's death, fans of the iconic singer flooded social media to share their grief.
Twitter user Jimmy Pavolic said he's loved Cara's singing since watching Fame as a child.
'So sad to hear the passing of Irene Cara, this song ever since I heard it as a 12-year-old has stuck with me, my sincerest condolences to his family, friends & fans. R.I.P Irene Cara.'
Journalist and Disney alumnus Steven McCoy wrote: 'I first met Ms. Irene Cara many years ago, she was truly a beautiful, kind and spiritual woman. She even sent me a gift package to my home and still hold dear to my heart. You will be truly missed.'
Another Twitter user with the handle Cromwell described Cara as the soundtrack of the 1980s.
'This is very sad. Irene was writer, voice and performer of many of the greatest songs and film tracks of the 80's. There's a special place in my heart for #OutHereOnMyOwn from #Fame. Sleep well, lovely lady.'
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