newsmakers

newsmakers

Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore dies at 68

NEW YORK

Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore, who topped the charts in 1963 at age 16 with her epic song of teenage angst, “It’s My Party,” and followed it up with the hits “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” and the feminist anthem “You Don’t Own Me,” died Monday. She was 68.

Gore died of lung cancer at New York University Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, according to her partner of 33 years, Lois Sasson.

“She was a wonderful human being — caring, giving, a great feminist, great woman, great human being, great humanitarian,” Sasson, a jewelry designer, told The Associated Press.

Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised, Gore was discovered as a teenager by Quincy Jones and signed to Mercury Records. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in English/American literature.

Gore’s other hits include “She’s A Fool,” “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” “That’s the Way Boys Are” and “Maybe I Know.” She co-wrote with her brother, Michael, the Academy Award-nominated “Out Here On My Own” from the film “Fame.”

She sang at the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show in Santa Monica, Calif., alongside future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers such as James Brown and the Rolling Stones. Gore also played Catwoman’s sidekick in the cult TV comedy “Batman.”

In the 1990s, Gore co-wrote “My Secret Love” for Allison Anders’ film “Grace of My Heart,” released in 1996. A couple of years later, she appeared in “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” on Broadway. Gore had been working on a stage version of her life with playwright Mark Hampton when she died.

Lady Gaga engaged to actor Taylor Kinney

NEW YORK

Lady Gaga is no longer caught in a bad romance: She’s engaged to actor Taylor Kinney.

The pop star shared the news on her Instagram account Monday. She posted a photo of a ring on her finger and wrote: “He gave me his heart on Valentine’s Day, and I said YES!”

Lady Gaga and Kinney met on the set of her “You & I” video in 2011. Kinney stars in the NBC series “Chicago Fire” and had a role in the film “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Associated Press