Irene Cara, a singer and actress, died recently at the age of 63. She was most recognised for singing the Flashdance movie’s theme song. What a Feeling from the 1983 hit film Flashdance and Fame, the musical drama from 1980.
Beginning her career in the 1970s, Cara performed up until the late 2010s. She was able to amass a sizable wealth for herself over time. Here is all the information we have on the late singer’s earnings and net worth.
Irene Cara had a $4 million net worth at the time of her death in November 2022, according to the website Celebrity Net Worth. Her illustrious singing and acting careers contributed the lion’s share of these profits.
Cara came from a lowly family; her mother worked as a movie usher and her father as a factory worker. The youngest of the family’s five children was Cara. She competed in the Little Miss America pageant at the age of 3, making it to the finals. She studied dancing, music, and acting after learning to play the piano when she was a teenager.
Cara started her singing and dancing career on Spanish television in the early ’70s. Later, she made an appearance on both The Electric Company on PBS and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In her youth, the singer also made Christmas CDs in Spanish and English.
Initially appearing in Broadway musicals, Cara was a part of Jesus Christ Superstar (1980), The Wiz (1980), and Ain’t Misbehav in (1978). (1993). She debuted on television in 1970 with CBS’ Love of Life. Following that, she appeared in the films What’s Happening!! (1977), Kojak (1976), and Roots: The Next Generations (1979).
Additionally, Cara had roles in other movies, such as Aaron Loves Angela (1975), Apple Pie (1976), and Sparkle (1976). Her performance in Fame as Coco Hernandez catapulted her to widespread stardom in 1980. She also provided the vocals for the movie tracks Fame and Out Here on My Own. The song Fame topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs list.
Anyone Can See, Cara’s debut album, debuted in 1982 and peaked at number 76 on the Billboard 200 chart. The following year, she cut Flashdance… What a Feeling for the movie Flashdance, which debuted at the top of the charts in a number of nations. What a Feelin’, Cara’s second studio album, was released in 1983. Carasmatic was then released in 1987.
Her song Flashdance… What a Feeling was included on Cara’s album What a Feelin’. She had only received $183 in royalties from her record company, Network Records, by the middle of 1984. The label sent her $60,000 in royalties over the following few months.
Nevertheless, she sued the business in 1985, claiming that its CEO Al Coury had failed to pay her $2 million in royalties for the film Flashdance. What an emotion. The artist asked the label for $10 million in punitive damages.
Following the case, Cara asserted that the business was treating her unfairly because Coury had started a smear campaign against her. A LA court granted her $1.5 million in 1993 as compensation for the harm to her career.