Cry if you want to. Lesley Gore, who shot to fame in the 1960s with the hit song "It's My Party," has died, the Associated Press reported on Monday, Feb. 16. She was 68.
Gore's longtime partner of more than three decades confirmed the sad news, telling the AP she died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. She had apparently been battling cancer, though details about the type were not immediately clear.
Best known for the 1963 teenage pop anthem "It's My Party" — which she recorded when she was just 16 — Gore had a string of other hits, too. Among her most famous songs are "It's Judy's Turn to Cry," "She's a Fool," and "You Don't Own Me," which was prominently featured in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for the song "Out Here on My Own" from Fame.
In 1967, Gore made a couple of appearances on the TV series Batman, as the character Pussycat. Her most recent album, Ever Since, was released in 2005.
