Irene Cara, who sang “Flashdance… What a Feeling” and “Fame,” died in November 2022 at 63. Her cause of death was reported on Thursday. She died as a result of hypertension and high cholesterol, according to the medical documents TMZ obtained from the Pinellas County, Florida medical examiner’s office.
The medical examiner ruled Cara’s cause of death as “Arteriosclerotic and Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease.” The documents also noted that Cara was diabetic. Cara died at her home in Largo, Florida on Nov. 25, 2022.
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Cara was best known for two important hits, Oscar-winning singles in the 1980s. Cara sang “Fame,” the title song to the 1980 film, which earned Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford the Oscar for Best Original Song and she had a role in the film as Coco Hernandez. She sang and co-wrote “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” the theme song for the 1983 box office smash Flashdance. Cara wrote the lyrics with Keith Forsey, and Georgio Moroder wrote the music. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song and the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.
Cara was also an actress, starring in episodes of Kojak, What’s Happening!!, Roots: The Next Generation, Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, Bustin’ Loose, and Hearts are Wild. She also starred in the original 1976 film Sparkle, which was later remade in 2012 with Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston. Cara’s other film roles included Killing ’em Softly, City Heat, D.C. Cab, Certain Fury, and Caged in Paradiso. In the 1990s, she voiced characters in several direct-to-video animated films.
“It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family, I announce the passing of Irene Cara,” Cara’s representative said after the singer’s death in November. “Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films.”
The enduring appeal of Flashdance was made clear in October 2020 when Paramount+ announced the development of a seriesย inspired by the 1983 film. The movie, directed by Adriane Lyne, tells the story of a working-class wielder, played by Jennifer Beals, who dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. In February 2022, Justin Simien (Dear White People) was hired to write and direct the contemporary adaptation of Flashdance. Another series based on a Lyne movie, Fatal Attraction, will be released on April 30.
