Connie Francis had a life full of surprises: Some of them were fascinating, while others were bone-shaking. She knew how to sing and write, but she didn’t know how to cope with the unique issues of being an international superstar. Let’s take a deep dive into the jolting facts of the unluckiest daddy’s girl.
1. She Had Multiple Mother Tongues
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, known as Connie Francis, spent her first years in Brooklyn before returning to New Jersey. She grew up in an Italian-Jewish neighborhood—and like all children, she was a sponge when it came to absorbing languages. So, she grew up speaking English, Yiddish, and Hebrew.
From the get-go, her family knew she was someone special.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Had A Stage Dad
Francis’s father, George Franconero, was especially ambitious about her little daughter’s future. He was quite responsive to her musical talents and enrolled her in a music school to learn the accordion. Moreover, she showed off her vocal skills at talent contests, pageants, lodge celebrations, church socials, and other neighborhood festivities.
But this was an innocent phase of Francis's life. She had no idea that fate had a dark plan in store for her.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Had One Chance
After countless failures, Connie Francis recorded a cover version of the hit song, “Who’s Sorry Now." Both her team and her father believed this could be a hit for the second time. But sadly, she didn’t even like it. As you can guess, her father’s words were final—so she recorded the song.
Connie Francis released the number, and there was no buzz around it. But that all changed on January 1, 1958, when the song debuted on a hit television program.
Alvin Ganzer , When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
4. She Rose To Stardom
In a couple of months, Francis’s new solo sold over a million copies, transforming her into a superstar. In April, she reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 4 in the United States. Just like that, med school went down the drain, while new solos lay on the horizon. But she still needed a little assistance.
Her team introduced her to a new friend—and this is when Francis’s life took a complicated turn.
5. She Liked Her New Friend
While she was focused on her career, life gave Connie Francis a companion who shared the same obstacles. His name was Bobby Darin—another up-and-coming singer/songwriter. The two began sharing ideas and writing songs together. Although they had their fair share of arguments, the majority of their time, they were flirting.
But behind the scenes, someone else watched them with a burning fury.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960)
6. Her Father Didn’t Approve
Francis was smitten with Darin, and vice versa. Even though there was no record of the two being in a relationship, people knew that they were in love. Just like a stereotypical, strict Italian father, Francis’s father did not approve of Darin and his daughter. As a full-time job, he worked to separate the two whenever possible so that Francis stayed focused.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
7. He Took It Too Far
Francis’s father failed miserably at keeping the two lovebirds apart...at least, at first. There were rumors about Francis and Darin having plans to elope after one of her shows—but once her father caught wind of this scandalous news, he snapped. His manner transformed into an aggressive one.
On one occasion, he even chased Darin out of a building. Francis and Darin were star-crossed lovers, but this story was no Romeo and Juliet.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960)
8. Her Love Wasn’t Enough
Francis admitted that Darin was her one true love—but there was one thing barring her from finding her "happily ever after".
As a devout daddy's girl, Frances knew that her relationship with Darin was doomed. Her father's intense feelings would always get in the way. Therefore, she decided to put her feelings aside and pour her feelings into her songs—but it wasn’t that easy.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1959)
9. A DJ Broke Her Heart
While she tried to forget Darin, Francis heard a shocking marriage announcement on the radio. While driving with her father, a radio DJ announced Darin was getting married. Francis was devastated. On top of that, she also had to listen to how happy her father was about the news.
That's when Francis lost her head—and started thinking the most sinister thoughts.
Alvin Ganzer , When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
10. She Felt Depressed
In her diary, Francis wrote some pretty disturbing things about that day. She was pretty vivid about her heartbreak and anger. Francis wrote that she hoped that the Hudson River would flood the Lincoln Tunnel, and drown both her and her father. She hoped to die that day. But little did Francis know, there was a reunion on the horizon.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1965)
11. She Ran Back To Him
Even though Bobby Darin had married Sandra Dee, Connie Francis still wore her heart on her sleeve. She later confessed that she met with Darin under the most sordid circ*mstances. Darin had just sent his wife away due to her awful gambling habit and then summoned Francis to his hotel room.
Nothing could have prepared her for this encounter.
7 Pictures , Come September (1961)
12. She Made A Horrifying Discovery
In her memoir, Francis shared how excited she was to reunite with Darin. She was eager to console him in lieu of his marriage problems. But when the doors to his suite opened, he caught him in his birthday suit...with two women all over him. No doubt devastated, Francis still managed to hit back at him with a sarcastic quip: "So glad to see your mojo is still working. Very, very nice".
Darin's response was unforgettable.
Universal Pictures ,That Funny Feeling (1965)
13. She Fled The Scene
Caught by his old love in the most ridiculous position, Darin yelled back at Francis, "Bad timing baby, the friggin' worst! This has got to be a setup and when I find the mastermind, he DIES". It was a chaotic mess and Francis fled the scene, shouting back at Darin that he should calm down, otherwise, he might suffer a heart attack.
Considering Darin's tragic end, this was a weirdly prophetic statement.
Alvin Ganzer , When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
14. She Made A Promise To Herself
Francis began to second guess herself about Darin because he was a self-involved person. Also, their relationship was constantly overshadowed by the presence of Sandra Dee, creating a tumultuous dynamic that tested their bond.
While they were working together on the TV series This Is Your Life, Francis decided that this must come to an end. No matter how painful it would be, she swore that she would cut ties with Darin after the show was over—it was time to girl boss.
Photographer not credited, Wikimedia Commons
15. She Struggled To Find the Right Songs
Even though “Who’s Sorry Now” earned Francis a spot at the top, she needed to stay there. Her follow-up singles didn’t have the same success, so she met Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield—who wrote ballads for her. When they met, they began the tireless discussion of which songs were most suitable for Francis.
Francis began writing in her diary, secretly sharing her opinions about the ballads.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1965)
16. She Had Some Negative Opinions
When Sedaka and Greenfield asked about her writings, Francis refused to share them. Instead, she expressed her thoughts more politely, saying that she found their ballads over-sophisticated for the younger generation. She said she preferred a more lively song.
The writers had a song in mind, but they thought the lyrics would insult Francis. Since they had nothing to lose—and since Francis hated the other songs—they took a shot in the dark.
17. They Found A Perfect Fit
After a day of disappointment, Connie Francis was tired. She gave Sedaka and Greenfield one last chance—and Sedaka began playing a song called “Stupid Cupid”. She was undoubtedly impressed and declared that he had just played her new hit song. In fact, she was right—the song broke the charts and earned her some more time as a worldwide star.
But Francis didn't just hit the ceiling of her fame—she broke it.
18. She Introduced Spring Break To The World
Francis faced a brand new challenge—acting. Of course, the production team of Where The Boys Are wanted to use one of her songs as the movie’s soundtrack. She agreed but also starred in the 1960 film. The movie was about a sleepy town that became a “hotspot for college students on their spring vacation”.
With this movie, Francis showcased all the scandalous possibilities of spring break. But like all spring breaks, hers ended with a touch of longing and sadness.
Henry Levin , Where the Boys Are (1960)
19. She Met A Charming Man
After she did the movie, in 1963, Francis metDickKanellis—a press agent and entertainment director. The two jumped into a relationship, and a year after, they decided to move it up a notch. On a warm summer day in 1964, they tied the knot.
Nevertheless, their relationship went downhill after the honeymoon phase ended—they separated before winter arrived. But there was even more romance around the corner.
20. She Changed Husbands Like Clothes
When Francis was 32, another gentleman—named Izzy Marrion—entered her life. Owner of multiple beauty salons, Marion fell head over heels in love with Francis. Like her first marriage, Francis’ second marriage happened relatively fast, which was also Marrion’s second marriage.
The ceremony took place in St Aloysius Church, followed by a lovely reception at Francis’s home in Essex Fells. Sadly, the second time wasn’t the charm for them.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
21. Her Second Marriage Went Downhill
Even though this union lasted longer than Francis’ previous marriage, it didn’t see the one-year threshold. After only 10 months, Marrion and Francis agreed that their run was over. They got a divorce in 1971. Once again, Francis was alone—but not for long. Her next marriage would see her through the most disturbing chapter of her life.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1959)
22. She Wished Her Third One Would Be Different
Two years passed by, and Francis met a restaurateur named Joseph Garzilli—the person that would manage to stay in her life for more than a couple of months. At that point, Francis was still not hesitant to marry fast—Francis and Garzilli became husband and wife in 1973.
This was the last year that Francis enjoyed some peace—it was probably the calm before the storm.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1967)
23. She Was Traumatized
On November 8, 1974, a nerve-wracking scandal changed Francis’s life. She was in her hotel room at the Howard Johnson's Motor Hotel in Westbury, Long Island when someone broke in. Francis was terrified as this person approached her—but this was only the beginning.
He then started touching her very aggressively, he kept doing unspeakable things to Francis and scarred her—literally and figuratively. The following morning, the authorities found Francis—and couldn't believe their eyes.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
24. She Was In Shock
The next morning, officers discovered Francis bound and tied to a chair. She later elaborated on that awful night. She said, “I thought, 'How could I be pulling this off?' I mean, I talked to him like he was a human being: 'Having problems with a job? Why do you have to do this?'”. But that wasn't the craziest part.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)
25. She Was Lucky To Be Alive
This was already a disturbing incident, but Connie Francis was lucky to be alive.She believed that one element of this horror story had saved her life. She'd told her assailant that she was famous. This may have discouraged him from ending her life, as he may have feared a massive investigation.
The fallout was incredibly distressing.
Alvin Ganzer , When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
26. She Sued The Motel
While this near-death experience sent Francis into a deep depression, her team worked nonstop to find the person responsible. They began the blame game by suing the motel chain—since they didn’t provide adequate security—and allegedly won the lawsuit. But not everything got resolved.
Though Francis’s team tried to find the intruder, their efforts were fruitless. Sadly, there was more heartache to come.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
27. Her Father Was Dramatic
While she struggled with her mental health issues, Francis's support system failed to support her. Her father—who had been very strict and controlling—wasn't compassionate when she needed it the most. He crossed the line when he told Francis that she'd become “damaged goods” after what happened to her.
Francis lost hope in one of her favorite men, but she was about to lose hope in another one as well.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
28. Her Marriage Was Affected
The remnants of this tragedy affected Francis’ marriage. She noted that her guilt and self-loathing about what happened grew by the day—and it negatively affected her marriage. She said that her strict Catholic upbringing was part of that guilt, adding, "That was one of the worst factors. That rigid, rigid code, especially with Italian men".
But there was something else about that night that haunted her.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1963)
29. She Was Catatonic
Drowning in awful memories, Francis found that she didn't even have the strength to return to the stage and was even scared to walk on the street. She stopped interacting with everything,spending most of her days in bed, watching television. She didn't even want to be near her husband. The consequences tore her family apart.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1968)
30. Her Husband Couldn't Cope
Bed-bound and still suffering, Connie Francis watched her husband walk away from her. She later said, "I don't blame him for leaving. I wasn't the same person. How many weeks can you see somebody lying in bed and encourage them but nothing gets through? You get disgusted. He was a weak man and he didn't have the time to wait it out, so he just left".
It was one of the darkest chapters of her life, but it was about to get even darker.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)
31. She Tried To Win Him Back
In a moment of desperation, Francis thought that she might be able to win her husband back if she could just recapture her star quality: "I thought if maybe he sees me with a microphone again, he'll love me". It was a comeback plan, alright—but it went so wrong. You see, Connie Francis lost her voice.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
32. She Lost Her Voice
For Francis, things just went from bad to worse. After having nasal surgery, she realized that she could no longer sing an entire octave. Three more painful operations ensued—but devastatingly, none of them worked. This tragedy cut Francis down entirely, and she later expressed how shattered she felt: "I'd lost my mind already, and now I lost my voice".
She wanted to be discreet about this chaos, yet she didn’t know that secrets had a cost.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1967)
33. She Kept It A Secret
Francis was determined to keep this scandal undercover, but this meant disappointing her loved ones. She didn’t tell anyone that she'd lost her voice, not even her closest friends—including the legendary Frank Sinatra. This secret only created more secrets and more problems because Sinatra was about to ask her a very sincere and poignant favor.
Capitol Records, Wikimedia Commons
34. She Felt Awful
Sinatra asked Francis to sing one of her songs as an homage to his deceased mother—who was a close friend of Francis’s. The request was to sing her song “Mama” at a Las Vegas tribute. Francis kindly turned down this request, but she gave a nonsense reason.
About what happened, she commented, “That hurt. Dolly and I were very close, our families were close enough to listen to dirty Italian records together. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do''. Luckily, this pity party was about to end.
35. She Was Back
In 1978, Francis had a comeback. It had been three years of keeping her terrible secret. Her voice was finally getting healthy, and she immediately went back to the recording studio. This time, she experimented with different styles, incorporating disco versions of some songs. She still wanted to show off her language skills, so she recorded in Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1969)
36. Her Response Was Unexpected
Fortunately, Connie Francis had a positive outlook on how to deal with grief. She noted, “I realized there were suddenly a lot of broken homes. I couldn't afford the luxury of self-pity anymore. It was truly a turning point". She put on a happy face and showed the world that she was still standing.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1970)
37. Show Must Go On For Her
No matter what, Francis continued singing. She even took up her love of performing and kept herself busy with tours. On one occasion, she performed at the American Bandstand 30th Anniversary Special Episode, which took place in the town where she had that bone-shaking experience in the hotel.
However, she'd soon learn that sweeping everything under the carpet had dire consequences.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1970)
38. She Didn’t Handle It Well
During the 1980s, Connie Francis still struggled to keep her head above water. She underwent powerful shock treatments to ease her psychological pain. She even tried to take her own life. In 1984, she remained in a coma for several days after the horrible attempt.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
39. She Got A New Project
Since Francis’s life had more ups and downs than an action-filled movie, it was no surprise for her when Gloria Estefan reached out to her for a movie based on Francis’s life. She liked the idea, and became involved in writing the script, producing the movie, and even announcing that she would play the lead.
However, Francis and Estefan began to disagree on certain artistic decisions.
The Heart Truth, Wikimedia Commons
40. It Was Over Before It Began
In 2009, the team pulled the plug on the project because Estefan and Francis had a significant disagreement. As Francis explained, “I wanted the writer Robert Freeman who wrote that miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, but Gloria and company were unwilling to hire that writer. He was so eager to do my life story for the film, but she [Gloria] wouldn't agree to hire him and that was the end of that”.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1968)
41. She Saved Don Rickles
Francis's risky ties to the mob turned out to be beneficial for her on a single occasion. This was when one of her close friends Don Rickles’ made fun of a mobster’s date and was about to be punished by them. She kindly asked her “friends” for a favor, which was not to break Rickles’ legs. He was lucky, because her pleas worked.
But that was the end of her "nice" associations with the mob. Much worse was coming.
Joseph Scandore-management, Wikimedia Commons
42. Her Mob Ties Grew Stronger
After she reached a level of success, Francis and her family’s mafia associations began to take a dark turn. Her brother George became more entangled in their hazardous web—sometimes working with them, sometimes against them. It was a treacherous path, and it ended in an unspeakable tragedy.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
43. She Got The Worst News Possible
Francis had thick skin after the tragedies she'd endured, yet she always had a soft spot for her family—especially her father and her brother. So when her father called and said, "Your brother's been shot," she felt her thick skin peeling. When she asked about the hospital, her father responded, “He's dead”. She screamed, and then she sat down to think.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960)
44. She Was Disturbed
At first, Francis couldn’t make sense of what happened. She knew that it had to do with her family’s ties with the underground world, but she couldn't pinpoint what gave rise to this tragedy. When the investigation began, she hoped for a result that had nothing to do with her brother’s work with the mafia, but the result she got was disappointing.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960)
45. She Got A Reason To Be Disturbed
Francis’ brother was a sharp partner in a law office, yet he also had a double life. While keeping close ties with the mob, he cooperated with law enforcement as an informant. He paid for his services with his life. It was a heart-wrenching turning point for Francis—but there was an even bigger one we haven't talked about yet.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)
46. She Received A Life-Changing Letter
The night of Francis's awful encounter with her assailant in 1974, she'd been opening fan mail in her motel room. But one package stood out from all the rest. When she opened it, the contents stunned her. A woman had heard that Francis had suffered a miscarriage, and so, decided to offer the singerher own child.
The reason why was heartbreaking.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1959)
47. Someone Gave Her A Baby
The package's sender believed that Connie Francis would be able to give her child a better life. Francis didn't even think twice. She thought to herself, "Wonderful, I have a baby!"—and immediately tried to contact her husband at the time. When she couldn't get through to him, she called her lawyer at 2:30 am.
He thought she'd lost her marbles, but took down the number of this baby-gifting fan. Only an hour later, Francis met her insidious intruder. But shockingly, the story doesn't end there.
48. She Forgot All About It
The awful man who violated Francis also took her fur coat. But here's the thing. Francis had placed the letter from the woman and the photos of the baby in the coat pocket. In the wake of thetraumaticevents that followed, she forgot all about the baby. But fate had a crazy twist in store for her.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1969)
49. She Received A Shocking Delivery
By mid-December, Connie Francis wasn't thinking about the baby she'd been so excited to adopt...until he arrived on her front doorstep. Baby Joey arrived, wrapped in a red bow, with a small suitcase. Still reeling from the break-in, Francis wasn't exactly ready to be a mother anymore.
Don Weis , Looking for Love (1964)
50. She Adopted
She later shared, "All my life I'd wanted a baby...But I found I couldn't even handle my baby. I had to hire someone to come into my house to take care of my baby". Nonetheless, six months after the surprising arrival of baby Joey, Connie Francis officially adopted him.
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960)
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