New York City-born Irene Cara “was destined for a life of accomplishments that millions strive for but very few actually attain,” her publicist, Judith A. Moose, wrote in her IMDb bio. Her musical talents were apparent early on — she played the piano by ear when she was 5 — and her supportive parents nurtured her gifts by putting her into performing arts classes. By her teens, she had already appeared on- and off-Broadway, performed on “The Tonight Show” and other programs, and released a Spanish-language album. 

Appropriately enough, Cara fulfilled her goal of stardom in the film “Fame,” whose title song declared, “Remember my name.” Per ABC7, Cara was originally meant to be a dancer, but the writers wrote the role of singer Coco Hernandez specifically for her. The film and soundtrack garnered her two Grammy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nod as well. Three years later, she took home the Grammy and Oscar statuettes for the “Flashdance” title song, which she co-wrote with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey. She went on to appear in movies and TV shows, including “Roots: The Next Generations,” “Sparkle,” and “City Heat,” and released additional albums throughout the ’80s. In recent years, Cara went into semi-retirement, connecting with fans through her podcast, “The Back Story.”

Tributes to Cara are pouring in from friends and fans, including Hallmark star Holly Robinson Peete, who tweeted, “When I first saw Irene perform, I was just blown away! The insane combination of talent and beauty was overwhelming to me. This hurts my heart so much.”

Post source: The List