"It’s My Party" Singer Lesley Gore Has Died

Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore has died, the Associated Press reports. She was 68 years old. The AP reports that she died from cancer complications at a New York City hospital. 

Gore was only 16 years old and still a high school student when her 1963 hit, “It’s My Party”, topped the Billboard charts. She had a number of subsequent hits, such as “Judy’s Turn to Cry”, “You Don’t Own Me”, “That’s the Way Boys Are”, “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows”, and “California Nights”. She also played Catwoman’s sidekick Pussycat on the “Batman” TV show in 1967.

In 1981, she was nominated in the category of Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for “Out Here On My Own”, a song she co-wrote with her brother Michael, from the movie Fame. Her last album of new material was 2005’s Ever Since.