63-year-old Irene Cara, singer of 'Fame' and 'Flashdance,' has died

[{"selector":"#anim-55f63e90-7556-42dc-a57c-e96e01d46a55 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-21.874999829338588%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Irene Cara was known for her role as the title character in Fame and Flashdance in the 1980s. Her age was 63.

[{"selector":"#anim-98d1b75e-59f5-4dc6-af8a-2689fc6eb1a7 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(13.420758666056166%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] The news was announced on Cara's social media account on Saturday by her publicist, Judith Moose. "A cause of death is currently unknown," she said.

[{"selector":"#anim-0e748c26-7be1-463d-9cb4-2f177be9d314 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(2.2857142838319717%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] "Irene's family has requested privacy while they grieve," Moose wrote. The legacy of her music and films will live on forever."

[{"selector":"#anim-735e2a7c-d978-429b-859b-8d58e71f7bd1 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(11.328124765340561%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}] In the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, Cara was born into a working-class Puerto Rican and Cuban family.

[{"selector":"#anim-570b29d1-671e-4939-8330-7de66af1aeb1 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(2.3471249698659187%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}] She appeared regularly in the 1970s children's show The Electric Company as a child actor.

[{"selector":"#anim-6b4778ed-9b62-45a9-b5d6-dc09638f34c6 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-1.8243243242580789%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] A future generation of artists was influenced by Cara.

[{"selector":"#anim-f5d51e60-bcec-4a02-92f1-48eecb8d7a0f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(37.124107033797664%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}] Seth Rudetsky says watching Cara on screen as a child helped shape his career goals.