Irene Cara Obituary

Irene Cara was an American singer and actress. Cara was born in New York City’s Bronx. Her professional singing and dancing career began on Spanish-language television.

She debuted on The Original Amateur Hour and Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. She was a regular on PBS’s educational program The Electric Company as a member of the show’s band, The Short Circus, from 1971 to 1972.

In 1984, Cara sang and co-wrote the song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” (from the film Flashdance), for which she received an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Cara is also known for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 film Fame, as well as her recording of the film’s title song “Fame.”

Cara received two honors in March 2004, including induction into the Ciboney Cafe’s Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth annual Prestige Awards.

Cara won the third round of NBC’s Hit Me, Baby, One More Time in June 2005, performing “Flashdance (What a Feeling)” and covering Anastacia’s song “I’m Outta Love” with her current all-female band, Hot Caramel.

Irene Cara, an award-winning singer, songwriter, and actor, passed away at the age of 63 on November 25, 2022 from an undisclosed cause