Irene Cara, the legendary actress and singer, has passed away at age 63. She is best known for singing two hit songs that dominated 1980s pop culture. The first was the title song "Fame" from the 1980 film Fame, in which she also played triple threat High School of the Performing Arts student Coco Hernandez. That song would go on to win both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. She followed that up by co-writing and performing "Flashdance... What a Feeling" for 1983's Flashdance, which also won both accolades in addition to a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

Today, the passing of the iconic "Flashdance" singer was announced by her publicist via Cara's official Twitter account. The actress passed away in her home in Florida of causes that are currently unknown but will be made public when they are discovered. Her family is currently handling arrangements, and a fan memorial will be planned in the near future. Check out the announcement below:


Irene Cara's Impact On 80s Hollywood Will Live On


The bulk of Cara's most well-known career successes were limited to the span of the 1980s, including roles in the films Busted Up and American Heat, two studio albums on the Billboard Hot 100, and a cameo appearance in the music video for Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." However, she kept working as a performer long past the end of the decade. In addition to providing voice performances for mid-1990s animated films like The Magic Voyage and The Jungle King, she continued playing in various venues, also forming the band Hot Caramel in 1999, with their 2011 album Irene Cara Presents Hot Caramel becoming her only full studio album to be released outside the 1980s.

The fact that her most prominent work was largely contained in one decade does not diminish the impact it has had on culture throughout the years. Both "Fame" and "Flashdance" are iconic works that have endured throughout the years even before pop culture turned toward 1980s nostalgia with projects like Netflix's hit retro series Stranger Things. The songs remain a vibrant and vital reference point to the early 1980s that have been used in everything from period films to commercials to "The Masked Singer" performances and Deadpool promotional materials.

Without Irene Cara, those two huge pop culture tentpoles of the 1980s simply wouldn't have existed in the same way. Her energy and passion are palpable in both performances, which has lent them their immortal charm. Although she has passed away, her legacy will live on forever through what she leaves behind, where she can continue to be celebrated by her friends, family, and fans. Hopefully, the upcoming Paramount+ television reboot of Flashdance can find an appropriate way to pay homage to her contributions as well.