Irene Cara, a child actor who later belted out 1980s anthems of joyful creativity and freedom with the title songs for Fame and Flashdance, but then battled for royalties in a legal fight that sidetracked her career at its peak, has died aged 63.
Cara’s imprint on pop culture has lived on through the decades as Fame (1980) and Flashdance (1983) became touchstones for the 1980s with their music and style, including the urban chic of New York teens in Fame (which was subsequently turned into a hit TV show, albeit without Cara among the cast) and the free-form moves, leg warmers (and, of course, the famous wet-and-wild shower scene) of Flashdance.
