Irene Cara, Oscar winner for Flashdance, dies

Irene Cara, who won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy for the hit song “Flashdance…What a Feeling” from the film Flashdance, died. She was 63.

A post read by Irene Cara’s publicist, in part, “It is with deep sadness, on behalf of her family, that I announce the passing of Irene Cara… The Academy Award-winning actress, singer, songwriter and producer has passed away at her home in Florida.” An official cause of death was not announced.

Irene Cara first erupted in the 1980s Fame, in which she played aspiring professional performer Coco Hernandez. For her inspirational performance, Cara received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy. Cara rose to even greater fame a few years later in 1983 Flashdance, which took home the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. She would also win the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. A Flashdance series was announced as under development in 2020 during Fame was previously adapted for the small screen.

Irene Cara has the distinction of having several songs on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Songs list, with “Flashdance…What a Feeling” at No. 55 and “Fame” a few spots up at No. 51.

In addition to her great successes with Fame and FlashdanceIrene Cara also appeared on the soundtracks for films such as kill her gently, Certain anger and All dogs go to heaven.

Cara has performed throughout much of her career, appearing on various television shows (What’s happening!!, Roots: The next generation) and stage productions (The Wizard, jesus chris superstar). Though she had other charting songs as well, she never achieved the legacy of Fame and Flashdance. Nevertheless, the songs remain classics of the cinema experience of the 1980s.

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