Gracie Lawrence Honors Connie Francis’ ‘Legacy’ After Her Dying at 87

Gracie Lawrence, who at present portrays the late Connie Francis in Broadway’s Simply in Time, is mourning the late singer who died at 87 years previous.

Lawrence, 28, shared a throwback black-and-white photograph of Francis to her Instagram Tales on Thursday, July 17, hours after the information of Francis’ demise first broke. “Rip Connie Francis,” the theater actress captioned to the photograph. “Thanks in your voice and your resilience, which as you hoped, will completely be your legacy 🤍”

Francis — the singer finest identified for songs like “Fairly Little Child” and “Who’s Sorry Now?” — had introduced that she was hospitalized in Florida on July 2 as a result of “excessive ache” she had skilled. Although she had written on Fb on July 4 that she was “feeling significantly better after an excellent evening,” Ron Roberts — her pal and president of the file label Concetta Information — confirmed Francis’ demise through Fb within the early hours of Thursday, July 17. 

“It’s with a heavy coronary heart and excessive disappointment that i inform you of the passing of my pricey pal Connie Francis final evening,” Roberts wrote. “I do know that Connie would approve that her followers are among the many first to be taught of this unhappy information. Extra particulars will observe later.”

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As a part of her tribute to Francis, Lawrence additionally shared a video on Instagram of herself singing the 1968 hit tune “Who’s Sorry Now?” at a efficiency in New York Metropolis’s Bryant Park.

“I have been a fan endlessly however this course of has launched me to a lot about her life that has simply made me an excellent deeper fan,” Lawrence stated onstage within the video.

She added, “Connie Francis stated that to know her voice is to know her, so regardless that I will sing a Connie Francis tune, I’d implore all of you to go and hearken to the true factor after. You may hear resilience and character and persona and humor and tenderness and energy. You may hear all of that in her voice, which she knew.”

Francis’ hit “Who’s Sorry Now?” is featured within the jukebox musical Simply in Time, which Lawrence has been performing in with Jonathan Groff since April. The musical covers the life story of singer and songwriter Bobby Darin, who began his profession writing songs for Francis; at one level the pair have been romantically entangled.

Lawrence informed ipromiseyoumedia in June that she “may be the craziest Connie Francis fan ever” whereas talking about her function within the Broadway present. 

“However I didn’t know her life story, I didn’t find out about her relationship along with her father or her relationship with Bobby Darin,” the actress continued, referring to the character portrayed by Groff. “And it’s such an honor to have the ability to play her each evening on stage and depict that romance between her and Bobby, which was so stunning and particular. I’m simply so completely happy to be in her sneakers, even for a second.”