Irene Cara, ‘Fame’ and ‘Flashdance… What a Feeling’ Singer, Dead at 63: ‘A Beautifully Gifted Soul’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock (4377315q) HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 16: Irene Cara at TriStar Pictures ‘Sparkles’ Premiere held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on August 16, 2012 in Hollywood, California. TriStar Pictures ‘Sparkles’ Premiere Hollywood Los Angeles, America.

Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

Irene Cara, the singer best known for performing the title tracks to the classic 1980s films Fame and Flashdance, has died. She was 63.

Cara’s publicist, Judith A. Moose, confirmed the news of her death in a statement shared on the singer’s Twitter account early Saturday morning.

“It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara,” Moose wrote. “The Academy Award-winning actress, singer, songwriter and producer passed away in her Florida home.”

“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.”

Cara’s cause of death is currently unknown, but it will be released when information is available, her rep said. Funeral services are currently pending and a memorial for Cara’s fans will be planned at a future date, she added.

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Cara first rose to fame when she was cast in the 1980 musical Fame, which she sang the title track for and starred in as Coco Hernandez.

Her performance in Fame earned her two Grammy nominations for best new artist and best pop vocal performance, female, at the 23rd annual Grammy Awards in 1981.

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Irene Cara 1980 (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)

Chris Walter/WireImage

Cara later sang and co-wrote “Flashdance… What A Feeling” for the soundtrack of the 1983 blockbuster Flashdance, with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey.

“Flashdance… What A Feeling” earned the star two wins at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in 1984 — best pop vocal performance, female, and best album of original score written for a motion picture or a television special — and an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1983 Oscars.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 09: Winner Irene Cara at the 56th Annual Academy Awards Show, April 9, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)

Getty /Bob Riha, Jr.

In a follow-up statement, Cara’s rep confirmed that she and the star’s business manager were notified of Cara’s death late Friday evening. “Believe me, I wish it weren’t true,” she wrote.

She added that the pair are now “working on amazing projects that would have made her and her fans incredibly happy. Her manager and I will finish them. She’d want that.”