After the news of award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress Irene Cara‘s death, fellow musicians and beloved Hollywood talent have made tributes to the late star on social media.
The Oscar and Grammy winner passed away in her Florida home at age 63, and her cause of death was not immediately known, according to an official statement from Cara’s publicist, Judith A. Moose.
Beside the official statement, Moose tweeted a personal message, “This is the absolute worst part of being a publicist. I can’t believe I’ve had to write this, let alone release the news. Please share your thoughts and memories of Irene. I’ll be reading each and every one of them and know she’ll be smiling from Heaven. She adored her fans.”
After Moose shared the sad news, several celebrities also shared statements publicly mourning Cara’s death.
Alongside a black and white throwback photo, Lenny Kravitz referred to Cara’s talent as “immortal” and “pure energy,” also noting that she was a source of inspiration for him.
“Irene Cara, you inspired me more than you could ever know,” Kravitz wrote on Facebook, adding, “Your songwriting and vocals created pure energy that will never cease. You also defined an era that is so close to my heart. Your portrayal of ‘Coco’ in Alan Parker’s ‘Fame’ is immortal and know that I was madly in love with her. Thank you Irene. You’re gonna live forever.”
Questlove was “devastated” by the news. The musician and record producer expressed heartbreak in a series of tweets, writing, “Sparkle. Fame. Flashdance. This era was special. why are the legends just…..evaporating? Like when I turn 65 will anyone I idolize ever know what it means to turn 80? Shit will I?”
And “….Now…….there is nothing. Goodbye Irene Cara. I’m Sad About This.”
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“FAME was the quintessential distillation of my dream of being an actor and I saw it in theaters multiple times. It was my first tangible example that the Arts could be inclusive and Irene was the face of that for me. You inspired me,” La Bamba actor Lou Diamond Phillips wrote in part.
Big Shot actress Yvette Nicole Brown recalled how Cara’s role in Fame “changed [her] life.”
“This breaks my to hear. #IreneCara was one of the first women I saw singing, dancing & acting in color not B&W who looked like me. Seeing her in #Fame changed my life,” she tweeted.
Debbie Allen, executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy, also celebrated Cara’s impact on the industry. “My Heart Is Broken. #IreneCara was such a gifted and beautiful genius. Her talent and her music will LIVE FOREVER! FOREVER REMEMBER HER NAME! #FAME.”
Award-winning singer Diane Warren tweeted “Oh no. Sing in power forever Irene Cara. Light Up The Sky Like A Flame.”
Founding Red Hot Chili Peppers member and bassist, Flea, also mourned the loss of Cara, calling her a “real light.”
A few more public figures that paid tribute include White Lotus writer and comedian Natasha Rothwell, activist and politician Jumaane D. Williams, and former California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher. You can read their tributes below:
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