FAME Singer Irene Cara has Died

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Irene Cara who rose to fame in 1980 singing the soundtrack and starring in the movie FAME has died at her home in Florida. She was 63. The cause of death at this time is unknown.

If it can be said about anyone dying of a broken heart in the industry it can be said about Irene Cara. Her career took off in the 70s with roles in movies like Sparkle but her star began to shine even brighter in the early 80s when she starred in and sang the big hit song for the movie FAME in 1980. After FAME she recorded another smash hit from a soundtrack, “What a Feeling” in 1983. Then things took a turn for the worse.

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Irene Cara attends an event, circa 1990s. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

She often spoke about and detailed signing horrific contracts, unpaid royalties and a lawsuit that took everything she had and left her broke for her hit songs “What a Feeling” and “Fame.” She sued for 10 million in unpaid royalties but was rewarded 1.5 million many years later after exhausting all of her earnings. The process eliminated her ability to culminate greater success.

She was one of the few artists in history who had more success with soundtrack songs than commercial releases. Her albums outside of the soundtracks failed to sell. She eventually got a deal with Elektra records but the project was shelved before it was released. She was rarely seen in industry circles for several decades. More details about her death are forthcoming.