When did Connie Francis begin making music? Career timeline explored as ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer passes away at 87

When we talk about Connie Francis, the name brings to mind the golden age of pop, where heartfelt ballads met cheeky rock ’n’ roll. Connecting an accordion-playing child prodigy to a chart-topping diva wasn’t a stretch for Francis, whose voice and charm took the world by storm. She sold over 200 million records across continents and became the first solo woman to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” in 1960. 

Yet perhaps her most curious late‑life renaissance came not from nostalgia tours but from a TikTok revival: her 1962 track “Pretty Little Baby” unexpectedly became a viral hit in 2025—more than six decades after she first recorded it. So, what happened to Connie Francis, singer and career icon, when did Connie Francis begin making music? Her story reads like a roller‑coaster: early promise, major breakthroughs, devastating setbacks, and a surprise encore for a new generation.

Music legend Connie Francis’s decades-long career journey

Connie’s musical roots trace back to Newark and Brooklyn, where at a tender age of 4 her father, George, passed along an accordion and a love for melodic expression. By age 10, she was appearing regularly on Startime Kids, where Arthur Godfrey recommended she drop the accordion and pick a simpler stage name; thus, Connie Francis was born. She had great success in the UK that year with "Who's Sorry Now?", a song that remained at the top of the charts for six weeks in a row.  Her fame extended well beyond the United States.  She sold records in Germany, Italy, and Japan and recorded songs in many languages.  In the 1960 adolescent film Where the Boys Are, she even achieved popularity on the big screen.

 In the mid-1960s, however, things became more difficult.  Her chart popularity began to wane, she had to have nose surgery that impacted her voice, and the British Invasion altered the music landscape.  She never quite stepped away from music, though. After suffering a terrible attack in 1974, she continued to be well-known throughout the 1970s and 1980s, utilizing her position to advocate for mental health and help other survivors.

 She returned with live performances in the late 1980s and early 2000s after a few difficult years.  In 2018, she formally retired.  She then returned to the public eye in 2025 thanks to TikTok. Her voice, preserved in grooves, found a brand‑new audience with “Pretty Little Baby”, leading to millions of streams and chart resurgences.
 

A brief note on her recent death

Connie Francis passed away on July 16, 2025, at age 87, following a two‑week hospital stay due to intense pelvic pain. Close friend Ron Roberts confirmed her passing via Facebook, stating she would have wanted fans to be the first to know. 
Her health struggles were public: she shared updates from the ICU and spoke of canceling Independence Day appearances. Though the exact cause is pending clarity, tributes are pouring in for the enduring artist who sang across generations.