Fame and Flashdance singer and actor Irene Cara dies aged 63

Irene Cara, best known for singing the title songs to the films Fame and Flashdance, has died aged 63.

Cara appeared as the main character Coco Hernandez in Fame, which was released in 1980. It told the story of students at the High School of Performing Arts in New York, taking them from their first auditions to their senior year.

Cara was nominated for an Oscar for best actress for Fame, and won gongs from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), including for her part in 1982 film Sister Sister. She had started her career as a child actor and singer, appearing on the Johnny Carson show in the 1970s, and in a tribute concert to Jazz icon Duke Ellington.

Her cause of death is currently unknown, and will be released when it has been confirmed, Moose said. Her family have asked for privacy, and funeral and memorial services will be planned at a later date.